Recipes and food fun by Carolyn J. Braden

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Take ice cream, pudding, and mousse desserts to a whole new level with these super easy chocolate dessert bowls!

I love styling food. Making a plate or bowl full of food look pretty for parties, weddings, special events and everyday life is something I’ve always done. I style my food every time I cook or bake. Why can’t food be pretty all the time?

Keep reading to learn how to make the bowls and scroll to the bottom to see 5 more awesome party food ideas!

Super Fancy Chocolate Dessert Bowls + 5 Awesome Party Food IdeasPhotography by Carolyn J. Braden, Graphic by Carolyn J. Braden via CanvaPin me! carolynsbloomingcreations.com — Super Fancy Chocolate Dessert Bowls + 5 Awesome Party Food Ideas
Photography by Carolyn J. Braden, Graphic by Carolyn J. Braden via Canva
Pin me! carolynsbloomingcreations.com

These dessert bowls weren’t as hard to make as you’d think. I found some tutorials online, but being the teacher that I am, I came up with my own method and decided to teach others how to make them here in this space.

Here’s my SUPER FANCY CHOCOLATE DESSERT BOWLS creation method (see below).

You’ll need the following to create approximately 6 bowls:

six 5 inch Balloons
one 12 oz. bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
medium heatproof bowl
spoon or spatula
shortening (I used Nutiva)
tablespoon
wax paper
large, flat baking tray
very sharp scissors
fabric candy making gloves

Step-by-Step Directions with Photos

First I inflated 6 small, five inch balloons with an electric balloon pump which I purchased on Amazon. I didn’t blow them up all the way; just to a “bowl size”. If you blow them up too big, you’ll have very large bowls, and less of them. I knotted them and set them aside.

Here is a link to the balloons I used
Here is a link to the balloon pump I used

You should use “food safe” balloons if you can find them. I could not, so I just wiped down each balloon with a wet paper towel before using them.

Then I melted an entire 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. I did this in 15 second intervals (stirring in between each time interval) on a 50% heat level to prevent burning.

When the chocolate was melted I added a tablespoon of shortening. This helped “soften” my chocolate and make it a bit more runny, making it easier to dip the balloons AND to make them more pliable when removing the balloons from the completed bowls.

I then used a spatula to stir the shortening and chocolate together until it was completely smooth.

Next, I dipped the balloons one at a time into the melted chocolate.

I swirled the balloon in the chocolate to coat it well and to ensure it created a bowl-like shape.

After coating the balloon (I only did one coating of chocolate per balloon and this worked very well), I “swirled” the balloon around a bit on the tray covered in wax paper to create a flat base with the chocolate.

You can see the “flat base” in the photo below.

I continued dipping each balloon one at a time in the chocolate. If your chocolate starts to thicken, microwave it again for 15 seconds on a 50% heat level.

I then placed the tray of balloons in my refrigerator, making sure they weren’t touching or sticking to anything.

I allowed the bowls to firm up for about 2 hours. You’ll know if they are completely “cured” because they will no longer be sticky.

I wore fabric candy making gloves when removing the chocolate bowls from the balloons because my kitchen was kind of warm and I was concerned about the warmth of my hands causing the chocolate to melt or leave fingerprints.

I used a small pair of sharp scissors to pop each balloon. Some balloons peeled immediately out while some I had to tug on a bit. I had one bowl get a hole because I tugged too fast and too hard. They key to perfect bowls at this point is to GO SLOW.

For my first attempt at ever making these, I think I did a pretty good job!

They are the perfect size for ice cream, mousse, pudding or whatever sweet creamy dessert you make!

These bowls can be made several days in advance. I made mine on a Tuesday, and they were still just as beautiful and sturdy several days later. I stored them in my refrigerator on a plate without anything covering them.

From gelatin bubbles on a cake to donuts on a cake stand, I know how to take ordinary food and make it extraordinary! Even if you don’t like to cook or bake, you can still make store-bought food look amazing. Read on for some awesome ideas!

1- Cake Alternative

Instead of placing a box of donuts on a table during an event, place them on a cake stand and layer them to create a donut “cake”. If your icing is super sticky, you can place some wax paper between the layers to prevent them all from sticking together.

Add candles and you have a genius new birthday cake!

2- Use Cute Containers

Place candy, popcorn, cookies or candy inside of cute favor boxes. This will prevent from guests from digging into a candy bowl with their hands and make the treats look super cute!

3- Use Cake Stands for More Than Just Cake

Set out food (even if it is store bought) on cute cakes stands and matching serving trays. Sure, it’s easier to place them out in their store containers BUT it’s not as pretty!

4- Use Cute Glassware + Easy Flavored “Fancy” Water

I like to serve filtered water in a carafe or glass bottle. Add a few cucumber slices and handful mint leaves and you’ll have a refreshing water beverage that everyone will love. I served this water once at a luncheon and guests couldn’t stop refilling their glasses. They loved it!

5- Layer Liners

Instead of serving cupcakes in one liner, layer them! You can easily make store-bought cupcakes look even cuter using this method. I like these grease-proof cute paper cups I found on Amazon.

I also love to hear how people made my recipes and projects their own! Post it to social media and tag it #carolynsdailydishes or @carolynsbloomingcreations

Have any questions? Fill out the form below and I’ll answer you as soon as I can. Or, leave me a comment below.

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Carolyn's Daily Dishes

Recipes and food fun by Carolyn J. Braden

Keep reading to learn how to make the bowls and scroll to the bottom to see 5 more awesome party food ideas!

Step-by-Step Directions with Photos

1- Cake Alternative

2- Use Cute Containers

3- Use Cake Stands for More Than Just Cake

4- Use Cute Glassware + Easy Flavored “Fancy” Water

5- Layer Liners

I also love to hear how people made my recipes and projects their own! Post it to social media and tag it #carolynsdailydishes or @carolynsbloomingcreations

Have any questions? Fill out the form below and I’ll answer you as soon as I can. Or, leave me a comment below.

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