Ever wonder how to make chocolate cups like you see on those decadent dessert trays? They are much easier to make than you might think!
I've been wanting to share how to make chocolate cups with you for a while now and I'm so excited to share them just before Valentines Day!
They would make a seriously fun dessert after a romantic (or not-so-romantic dinner if you're home with kids) and are super easy to make.
The best part about them is that you can fill them with ANYTHING and decorate them to match any theme you want. In the past, I've filled them with mousse, ice cream, fresh fruit, candy-- just about anything goes. Plus, people think you're a fancy pants if you serve them dessert in a delicate chocolate cup and that's always fun.
The trick behind these little babies is water balloons. Actually, in full disclosure, this time I used a package of small balloons from the dollar store and didn't blow them up all the way.
It turns out that water balloons are hard to find in Oregon in the dead of winter. Go figure. The finished cups will be the size of the balloon used so blow them up as big or little as you'd like.
Next up: Chocolate.
Real chocolate can be finicky when melted down and re-hardened so I like to use chocolate candy coating to make things easy. I find mine in the bulk bins at Winco and craft stores like Michaels often have it in lots of different colors. I haven't ventured into the world of colored chocolate cups, but if you do I want to see pictures!
How To Make Chocolate Cups
Melt down the chocolate in a bowl that is deep enough for you to dip the balloon into it. I like to use a smaller sized bowl that just fits the balloon so I don't have to melt down a ton of chocolate. Before dipping the balloons, let the chocolate cool down just a bit. If it's not cool enough it could cause the balloon to pop and you can imagine what a big mess that would be. I've found that as long as the chocolate is around bath water warm and the balloon isn't blown up super tight I don't have any problems though.
Place each dipped balloon onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. I LOVE my Silpat Baking Sheets for things like this because nothing sticks to them and they are so easy to use.
Give the chocolate plenty of time to set up before poking a little hole in the top of each balloon. I find that the slower I can let the air out of the balloons the better so I aim for a slow deflation over a quick pop.
Sometimes you'll end up with a hole in the bottom of the cup where the balloon sat on the sheet. If needed, you can fix this by pouring a bit more chocolate into the bottom.
They are pretty impressive on their own but can be dressed up, too! One of my favorite ways is with sprinkles! Dip the tops of the cups in a bit more melted chocolate and then press into some sprinkles.
Think you can do it? I do!
Want More Valentine's Day Recipes?
- Layered Jello Squares, Valentine's Day Style
- Raspberry Oreo Fluff
- Mini Chocolate Box Cupcakes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Candy Bars
Chocolate Cups
Ingredients
- 1 lb chocolate candy coating
- 12-16 water or small sized balloons
Instructions
- Inflate balloons to desired size.
- Melt chocolate until smooth and place in a bowl deep enough to dip the balloons into.
- Dip the bottom ⅓-½ of each balloon into the chocolate and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Let chocolate fully harden and slowly deflate each balloon, removing after deflation.
- Fill any holes in the bottom of the cup with additional melted chocolate and decorate as desired.
Nutrition Facts
Patti says
How do you get a nice thick shell without dipping the balloon more than once?
pete says
hi ! I'm trying to make some of these for my granddaughters' birthday in a couple fo weeks . All is going reasonably well - thank you for all the tips! But i have 1 question - the top edges of the 'cops' are very very thin. When the ballons deflate, the edges crumble way, and unlike the smooth edges in your photos, i am left with lots of jagged, uneven edges. Is ther any way i can thicken the chocolate at the top of the cups so that this thinning doesnt happen ?
Thank you in advance !
Pete from England
meghan says
can you store these overnight in the freezer if you make ahead?
Michelle says
please make sure to tell anyone eating these that you used a latex balloon in making them! People with latex allergies can have a very bad anaphylactic reaction to the latex residue left on the chocolate, much like a person with a nut allergy can have a bad reaction from eating a product made on the same machinery as something that had nuts in it. You can find non-latex products out there to use in place of the cheap latex balloons.
Rachel (teacher-chef) says
I have made my chocolate cups like this too - LOVE them! Such an easy way to get perfect cups (and yours look WAY more perfect than mine ever did), especially with those sprinkles on top, too cute!
Heather says
Haha, they are definitely far from perfect (the sprinkles hide a lot!) 🙂
Libby Harris says
Do u wash the balloons first. My experience is they has a powdery film on them, just wondering.
Heather says
It kind of depends on the balloons. Sometimes I need to, other times not. If you do wash them, make sure the are super dry before dipping in the chocolate as just a drop of water could ruin the melted chocolate.
Carly says
Great idea