How to Make Chocolate Curls

I'll admit that the first couple of times I thought about making chocolate curls, I caved and ended up buying some at the store. While there is no shame in that, I did finally decide to teach myself how to do it recently and, holy smokes, the process is really quite easy to do! And what I really liked—it takes only about 15 minutes. Seriously! So, I wanted to share an easy to follow tutorial to show how you can make them too. I've broken out each step below along with a video and what tools you'll need.

how to make chocolate curls tutorial

step 1: melt the chocolate and vegetable shortening

In a medium-size glass bowl, add the chocolate and vegetable shortening then microwave in 45 second increments at 50% power until the vegetable shortening is hot and has completely melted. Then using a small spatula, mix together until the chocolate is nice and smooth.

items needed:

3 ounces of good quality bar of chocolate, 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening, medium glass bowl, and small spatula

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step 2: spread the melted chocolate out onto a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan

Using an offset spatula, immediately spread the melted chocolate out onto the underside of a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Continue to spread the chocolate out until it's a thin layer.

items needed:

small offset spatula, small cookie sheet or jelly roll pan

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step 3: freeze the thin layer of chocolate

Carefully move the cookie sheet or jelly roll pan into the freezer, and leave it there for approximately 4 minutes. You want the chocolate to be in the sweet spot where it's not too soft and it's not rock hard where it will break the minute you try to create the curls. A good indication that it is ready is it will no longer be shiny in appearance and the tip of your finger, when gently touching the chocolate, will leave a subtle fingerprint and not a dent.

items needed:

just your freezer and a timer!

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step 4: carve out the curls

Here comes the fun part, but first take a deep breath! You can do this! Hold the putty knife or bench scraper in your dominant hand at about a 45 degree angle starting at the bottom of the pan. Then with your other hand, brace the back of the cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.

Gently push forward to get the curl going and stop when you're satisfied with how the curl looks. You can push the whole way across the pan for a larger curl or you can stops every so many inches. It's up to you! Carefully transfer the curl to a plate using either your fingers or tweezers.

Repeat until you have all your chocolate curls transferred over to a place, then place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden. You can also place them in the refrigerator as well, but it may take a smidge longer.

items needed:

putty knife or a bench scraper, a plate or small pan to hold the chocolate curls, tweezers, knife to cut longer curls

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additional tips before making homemade chocolate curls

• Before starting, make sure you have the freezer space to hold a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Because my freezer space is limited, I used a quarter size jelly roll pan.

• You will also want to make sure the underside of your cookie sheet or jelly roll pan is smooth. I have some cookie sheets that have a ripple type of top and bottom to them, so they would not work well for something like this.

• I used 3 ounces of a Lindt 70% Cocoa Excellence Bar. You don't have to use dark chocolate or even this brand, but I do recommend getting a good bar of chocolate for these!

• If you'd rather use both hands to guide the putty knife or bench scraper, I suggest placing your cookie sheet or jelly roll pan up against a wall to brace it. I've made these chocolate curls like you see in the video and also having my kitchen counter wall as a brace. Both methods get the job done, just go with what feels more comfortable to you!

• The putty knife I used here in this video was 1.5 inches wide, and I bought it soley for the purpose of making chocolate curls—no spackling, I promise! Lol! You can get a wider putty knife or you can use a bench scraper (used for cutting pie and bread dough), then cut them to your desired width with a good sharp knife.

• I don't recommend doubling this unless you have the freezer space and a larger cookie sheet or pan.

• If your chocolate begins to get too soft as you curl it, just pop it back into the freezer for 1-2 minutes.

• If you know you like to top your desserts off with some chocolate curls, you can make a bunch of them in advance, then store them in the freezer inside a tightly sealed storage container for several months.

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would you like to see more tutorials like this?

If you like to see more tutorials like this, I'd love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment below with an idea for a tutorial you'd like to see or send me an email!

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check out some popular chocolate Beyond the Butter recipes!

• Homemade Oreo Snowflake Cookies
• The Best Salted Pecan Pie Brownies
• Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Christmas Trees
• No-Bake Dark Chocolate Tart
• One Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Easy Chocolate Pecan Pie

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