How to Melt and Pipe Chocolate to Beautifully Decorate Cookies

Co-authored by Sophia Latorre

Last Updated: August 25, 2021 References Tested

Cookies are always delicious and a layer of chocolate makes them even better! Don't be intimidated by decorating with chocolate. It looks fancy, but is actually really easy to do. We've put together a list of several fun ways to decorate cookies with chocolate.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:
Start by tempering the chocolate.

0

6

1
Tempering takes longer but makes the chocolate glossy and beautiful. Chop up high-quality chocolate into bite-size pieces and add it to a medium-sized bowl. Add ½ tsp (2.1 g) of shortening per 1 oz of chocolate. Fil a larger bowl with warm water (110 °F (43 °C)) and place the medium-sized bowl inside the large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate constantly until it is shiny and smooth. This takes about 20-25 minutes. If the water cools off, just replace it with warm water and keep stirring.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- In a hurry? Simply melt the chocolate on the stove or in the microwave.
- Couverture chocolate is the best for decorating. It has more cocoa butter than others, which can make it easier to manipulate.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:
Use colored chocolate to add pizazz.

0

4

1
Go with chocolate melts for colorful designs. Pick up a few bags of chocolate melts in the colors of your choice from the grocery store. Melt them according to the directions on the packaging. Then you can dip or drizzle the colored chocolate over your cookies!^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Outline the shape of the cookies for an easy option.
- Write messages on cookies to personalize your treats.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:
Pipe chocolate designs with resealable baggies.

0

7

1
You don’t need expensive pastry bags with this technique. Once you’ve melted the chocolate, spoon it into a baggie. Zip it closed and use kitchen scissors to snip a very small opening in one of the bottom corners. Gently squeeze the chocolate onto the cookies in the design of your choice.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Try delicate lines on snowflake cookies or pipe flowers on sugar cookies for a fun look.
- Drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate for a pretty, and easy, option.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:
Dip cookies into melted chocolate.

0

2

1
This method lets both the cookies and the chocolate shine. It’s also really easy and great to try if you’re a beginner or have kids helping you out. Gently hold one side of the cookie while you dip the other half into the melted chocolate. Place the cookie on a sheet of wax paper to dry. They're ready to serve when the chocolate has completely cooled and hardened.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- This technique is great for waffle cookies and sugar cookies. If you have Christmas tree-shaped cookies, dip just the tip of the tree into the chocolate to create a star-like effect for decoration. Or, dip half of the tree into chocolate to make a cool-looking half-choco cookie.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:
Add sprinkles and candy for extra fun.

0

10

1
Cover the cookies in chocolate, then add your decorations. Do this before the chocolate dries so the sprinkles stick! You can use sanding sugar, jimmies, pearls, nuts, or even candy, like M&Ms, to accent your cookies.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- You can either sprinkle the decorations over top, or dip the cookies into them.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:
Create chocolate toppers.

0

6

1
Draw chocolate designs on wax paper, then let them cool. Lay out a large piece of wax or parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet. Put the melted chocolate in a resealable baggie and snip off the bottom corner. Gently squeeze the chocolate out onto the paper. You can create abstract designs, letters, shapes, or whatever your heart desires! Move the cookie sheet to the fridge and let the chocolate harden for 10-20 minutes. Then, carefully peel the chocolate decorations off the paper and stick them on top of your cookies.^{[8]
X
Research source}