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4 ounces white, milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
(squares, morsels, or
coarsely chopped pieces)
1. To melt chocolate in a microwave oven, put unwrapped
chocolate in a small
microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute on low power (20
percent to 30 percent).
Remove, stir with a small rubber spatula and continue
to heat, as needed, on low
power for short intervals, 10 to 15 seconds. Stir after
each interval until chocolate
is melted and glossy. Use the shortest possible heating
time. (White chocolate melts
faster than milk or dark chocolate.) If chocolate texture
becomes grainy, it cannot
be used for dipping and should be discarded.
2. To melt chocolate in a double boiler, place unwrapped
chocolate in a small
saucepan set over a larger pan with a small amount of
gently simmering (not boiling)
water. Do not let the water or steam touch the chocolate.
Heat for about 4 minutes.
Stir as soon as the chocolate begins to melt. Remove
from the heat at once and
scrape into a small bowl.
3. To dip the cookies, stir the chocolate until it is
smooth and velvety, then dip one
side of a cookie into the chocolate and place it on a
parchment-lined baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining cookies. Finely crushed nuts, jimmies
or colored sugar can
be sprinkled on the chocolate before it sets. Refrigerate
cookies until the chocolate
sets, about 30 minutes.
4. Stir the melted chocolate often so it does not harden.
Or, put the bowl in a larger
bowl with some warm (not hot) water. (Do not let water
touch the chocolate.) If the
chocolate hardens, heat it in the microwave on low power
in 10-second intervals
until it melts. As the chocolate is used, tilt the bowl
and scrape down the chocolate
to facilitate dipping.
5. For half-white, half-dark chocolate coatings, dip cookies
first in white chocolate
and refrigerate until set. Then melt dark chocolate,
dip the other side and refrigerate
until set.
Cook's note: For red or green chocolate, add that powdered
gel base food color to
white chocolate.
