Chocolate Decorations on Cookies

[mzrb]

I am making an enormous batch of smiley-faced decorated cookies for an event and found myself having more and more questions than I probably should...but you guys are so generous with your answers, it makes me feel better.

Anyhoo, after icing the cookies with royal-type icing, I plan on putting the smiles on the cookies using chocolate because 1. royal icing is so blah and 2. chocolate is so wonderful. It dawned on me that I might need to do more than melt the chocolate and put it in a pastry bag to put on the decorations.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Should I add some crisco or a tbspnfull of oil or something? I want the chocolate to harden so the decorations don't smear when I travel with them.

All help and thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

[Kerry Beal]

I am making an enormous batch of smiley-faced decorated cookies for an event and found myself having more and more questions than I probably should...but you guys are so generous with your answers, it makes me feel better.

Anyhoo, after icing the cookies with royal-type icing, I plan on putting the smiles on the cookies using chocolate because 1. royal icing is so blah and 2. chocolate is so wonderful. It dawned on me that I might need to do more than melt the chocolate and put it in a pastry bag to put on the decorations.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Should I add some crisco or a tbspnfull of oil or something? I want the chocolate to harden so the decorations don't smear when I travel with them.

All help and thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

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You could temper the chocolate before piping it. Demo here. Just temper a few ounces and once you check the temper and are satisfied, you can just put it in your piping bag.

[K8memphis]

If I were making those cookies, I would thin some of the cookie batter with water to get a nice piping consistency, add coloring and pipe the smilie faces on before baking. Then I'd dip the bottoms in melted choco. That's how I'd do that. Because I agree royal icing sucks.

[gap]

If you don't want to worry about tempering, use some confectionary coating rather than couverture. Confectionary coating is usually sold in supermarkets in chocolate button form eg., Nestle Melts. You can melt, pipe and wait to set without worrying about tempering etc.

Someone else might correct me, but I think the coating will actually react well to being put in a fridge to set (as opposed to couverture which someitmes doesn't react well). I think you'll get a nice shine if you set it in a fridge.

[mzrb]

If you don't want to worry about tempering, use some confectionary coating rather than couverture. Confectionary coating is usually sold in supermarkets in chocolate button form eg., Nestle Melts. You can melt, pipe and wait to set without worrying about tempering etc.

Someone else might correct me, but I think the coating will actually react well to being put in a fridge to set (as opposed to couverture which someitmes doesn't react well). I think you'll get a nice shine if you set it in a fridge.

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Oooo. That sounds like a really easy way out. I wish I knew a supermarket around here that was as good as yours, tho. I've never seen the Nestle melts. I live in NJ; any ideas on where to find?

Thanks!