Make Chocolate Play Dough
Craft Edible Sculptures for Desserts, Parties, and Holiday Treats
Jun 29, 2009
Parents can help measure the ingredients and then allow children to create edible figures to decorate a holiday dessert table. Have the kids create a sweet treat for a family dinner or a party tray. This dough creates tasty sculptures that would be welcome as birthday or holiday gifts.
The chocolate dough has a dense, truffle-like consistency. If while working with the dough, it gets too soft, chill in the refrigerator to allow it to firm.
Recipe for No-Cook Chocolate Dough
This recipe is enough for one or two children to work with. The number of treats the recipe makes will depend on the size of the objects created. If desired, after mixing the dough, divide it into portions to give the young artists/cooks guidelines as to the size of their sculptures.
- ¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Take the butter out of the refrigerator approximately a half hour before mixing the dough. Measure the cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and blend with clean hands until the dough is smooth.
Decorating Candy Dough
- Wash hands and dry well. Dust hands with a little bit of powdered sugar so the dough won’t stick to the skin.
- Shape the dough with the hands. Use flat toothpicks to sculpt details. Avoid licking fingers while creating the treats!
- If the dough gets sticky, set in the refrigerator until it firms.
- Decorate the play dough sculptures with mini candy-coated chocolates, colored sugar, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, licorice strings, pretzels and whatever sparks the imagination and taste buds of the young artists.
- Older children can make tiny sculptures to set atop large marshmallows.
Storing Edible Sculptures
After making the edible sculptures, set on a small tray covered with waxed paper. Play the tray in the refrigerator until the treats are ready to be served.
Giving Handmade Chocolate Treats as a Gift
Take the chilled chocolate sculptures and set individual pieces in small paper or foil baking cups. Arrange in a box. Be certain to label the box “refrigerate.” The candy won’t spoil if it isn’t chilled but it will soften and lose its shape.
Another option is to shape the chocolate dough into small balls and roll in candy sprinkles. Because the sprinkles prevent the pieces from sticking to one another, several of these treats can be set into a small cellophane bag that is tied with a ribbon.
Making sculptures with chocolate play dough is a fun way for children to participate in creating a treat for a party or holiday dinner or to give as a gift.
