Chocolate’s complex flavor brings out the sweetness and tanginess of fruit, mellows the heat of peppers, and comes alive when introduced to a little bit of salt. The real question should be, “What can’t you dip in chocolate?”

Here’s your guide to making chocolate-covered (almost) anything.

What to dip

Pretzels and strawberries are great, but the possibilities truly are endless.

Fruit

• Pomegranate arils (the juicy seeds)
• Dried blueberries
• Fresh or dried figs
• Grapefruit segments
• Frozen grapes
• Maraschino cherries (dry them off first!)

Sweets

• Strawberry butter (Scoop balls of strawberry butter and chill before dipping)
• Jelly beans or gummy bears
• Marshmallows
• Homemade fudge (chocolate needs more chocolate, right?)
• Ice cream balls (scoop ice cream with a melon baller and refreeze before dipping)
• Candied citrus peels
• Peanut brittle

Cakes and cookies

• Fortune cookies
• Waffles (make your own, then cut into squares or strips)
• Animal crackers (why not use white chocolate or candy coating?)
• Granola bars (store-bought or homemade)
• Cream puffs (easy to make—just dip half!)

Salty

• Popcorn
• Potato chips (even better: salt and vinegar or jalapeño chips)
• Bacon (even better: caramelized bacon)
• Sunflower seeds

Go a little crazy

• Boost the flavor in your chocolates with the barest sprinkling of coarse salt.
• Sweet banana peppers (jalapeños if you like it even hotter)
• Candied ginger
• Avocado slices (catch them before they’re too ripe)
• Licorice
• Roasted coffee beans

Some general tips

• Keep it dry. Fruit goes well with chocolate, but moisture doesn’t. Pat fruit slices dry and let sit on a couple of layers of paper towel for 15 to 30 minutes.
• For larger pieces, use a dipping fork (like a fondue fork) or a skewer.
• Rest smaller pieces—like coffee beans, pomegranate seeds, dried blueberries, etc.—individually on the tines of a fork and use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over them.
• Dipped chocolate will need about 30 minutes to set at room temperature. (Do not put it in the fridge or freezer!)

Preparing the chocolate

Tempering chocolate

For a glossy, professional finish on your chocolates and that satisfying “snap!” when you bite into them you need to temper your chocolate before dipping. (It’s easier than it sounds!)

Easy dipping

If you want to use chocolate chips or don’t have a candy thermometer for tempering, use this Chocolate for Dipping recipe. You’ll get a slightly softer chocolate coating, a lot like a dipped soft-serve cone.