Celebration ideas for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

In our humble opinion, one of the best things to come out of the internet era is the institution of national holidays for literally any occasion. From giving someone a compliment to appreciating the magic of zippers, literally everything has its own day. And at Western Chocolate Company, we are here for the chocolate holidays - all 70 plus iterations!

This week is going to be a holiday that is near and dear to our hearts: National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. That’s a celebration we can get behind. To truly ring in December 16th with a bang, we’re breaking down some ideas you can use to have a successful holiday with loved ones - or maybe just yourself and Netflix. Either way.

Fondue without the fondue pot

The first thing you’ll need to do is get a big pot of melted chocolate. Ordinarily, you would use a fondue pot for this. But, understandably, not everyone has a fondue pot lying around. If you’re one of those lucky people, you’re a step ahead of all of us!

But for those who don’t, we found this recipe which is a perfect cheat sheet. You really just need a pot with a heavy bottom. A cast iron pot or Dutch oven would be great for this. It really just requires roughly chopping about 10 ounces of your favorite chocolate bar (hint: experiment with different kinds if you want to be creative.) Then, you combine the chocolate with heavy cream in the saucepan and continuously stir on low heat until you get a luscious chocolate fondue sauce. Time to dip.

Dipping ideas

The best part of chocolate fondue is that the options are limitless. You can dip some of the classics, like strawberries or apples, but the possibilities don’t end there. Try cutting up rice krispie treats into bite sized portions, or dousing an entire marshmallow in the cocoa-goodness. Be brave and experiment with flavors. Thick potato chips are a nice salty counter to the sweet (go for the ridges!). You might even want to pour it over fresh waffles or pancakes for a very sinful breakfast.

Non-fondue ideas

Not into fondue? That’s ok. Try these other recipes out for a non-fondue way to celebrate the holiday.

1) Summer salad with chocolate vinaigrette

You could use chocolate as a base in a perfectly sweet vinaigrette for your salad. Shave a chocolate bar with a grater for a crunchy texture that boosts the cocoa flavor.

2) Cosmic brownie copycat

Do you remember the cosmic brownies of childhood? They were a delicious treat in the bottom of your lunchbox: a brownie that was covered in ganache and intergalactic sprinkles. Recreate the absolute magic of lunchtime with this copycat recipe.

3) Frozen banana pops

This one is a fruit, so it must be healthy - right? We hope so because we want seconds. Maybe thirds. This is honestly basically ice cream, but good for you, probably. It takes a little effort but we promise it’s worth it.

4) Chocolate-covered pretzels

Chocolate and pretzels are a match made in heaven. They are so simple but so effective at the same time. This one is holiday-themed so you’re celebrating several festivities in one treat.

What ways are you planning to celebrate? Did you find inspiration, or are you planning to go in a totally different direction? Hit us up on Instagram at @westernchocolateco and let us know!