How To…Make Chocolate Curls

Have you ever made chocolate curls? NO? Oh, okay. That’s cool. You’re among friends here. Whoever spread that rumor that possessing the ability to make chocolate curls is the secret to happiness should be flogged in the public square. You don’t HAVE to know how to make chocolate curls in order to be happy. But just in case…why not learn now? They’re fun,fanciful, pretty darn easy, and let’s face it: they’ll make you look reeeeeal cool. And THAT, my friends, is the secret to happiness.



Grab some Crisco and some semi-sweet baking chocolate. (Any brand will do, and you can even use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’d like!)



Place three ounces (usually three squares) of chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.



Now place one tablespoon of Crisco (vegetable shortening) into the bowl.



Now throw it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the shortening is melted and hot.



With a fork…



Stir to combine thoroughly.



And there you have it—chocolate curls!
Just kidding. I just love doing that, though.


Now, grab a metal cookie sheet, turn it upside down, and pour the melted chocolate on.



Then, with a flat spatula (or heck, a knife), spread the chocolate in a thin layer…



Keep going until it’s very, very thin. Then…and this is the key…stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.



Now, this is after one minute in the freezer. I gave the chocolate the ol’ fingerprint test, and it failed miserably. It’s still way too soft to make the curls. So I put it back in for exactly two minutes.



Be sure to give it the ol’ fingerprint test. And when it’s ready, it should leave the slightest mark, but not an actual depression.
Next, get a somewhat sharp-edged spatula and begin to scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. When the chocolate is just the right temperature, it’ll curl instead of break.


See, right now it’s still just a tad too cold/hard. So I waited one minute and tried again.



And guess what? It’s just right.



Now you have a couple of minutes before the chocolate gets too soft.



So just scrape along the bottom of the pan…



…And the chocolate will curl right up. If it’s too hard, give it a minute, then try again. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute.



Pretty soon you’ll have a bunch of fun little chocolate curls.



And I have no idea how this one happened, but I think it’s kinda neat. And I totally meant to do it.
Important: as soon as possible, transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate, then stick them in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag until you need them. Use them to adorn pies, cakes, or platters of fruit. You’ll feel instantly fancy!
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*This PW How-To was extracted from this previously-posted Delicious Chocolate Pie recipe.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/how-tomake-chocolate-curls/