Most of these recipes start with a melted bar and end with the question of how it sets. Melting is the gentle part: short bursts in the microwave with a stir between each, or a bowl set over hot water, until the chocolate is fluid and glossy. A stray drop of water can turn a smooth bowl grainy, yet chocolate stays silky when it meets plenty of liquid from the start, which is why the cookie spread melts it straight into milk and butter in one pan. Setting depends on cold and depth. Frozen banana and peanut butter pops take a crunchy shell the instant they are dipped, Pringles firm up in seconds on a tray chilled over a layer of ice, apple pops return to the freezer for a final chill, and a tube filled with warm chocolate needs the fridge until solid right through before it slices.
These apple ice cream pops blend whole apples into a creamy frozen treat: blitz 3 cored apples (skin on) with 2 tsp apple pie spice, ¼ cup honey and 1 cup coconut cream until smooth, freeze in molds, then dip in melted dark chocolate. Naturally dairy-free and spiced like apple pie. Makes about 6.
These chocolate-dipped banana peanut butter ice cream bars taste like a homemade Snickers: blend 1 banana, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 75 g yogurt, ¼ cup heavy cream and vanilla, freeze in popsicle molds for 4 hours, then dip in melted chocolate studded with chopped peanuts. The ice-cold pops set the shell instantly. Makes 4.
Mashed banana does the heavy lifting in these chocolate waffles, binding with eggs so only 30 g (1 oz) of flour and two tablespoons of cocoa are needed for a batter that cooks in 5 minutes in the waffle maker. Pick a ripe, spotty banana; it mashes smooth and carries enough natural sweetness that one tablespoon of honey covers the rest. When measuring that honey, dip the spoon in oil first and it slides off cleanly. Wheat flour swaps easily for oat or a gluten-free blend, since banana and eggs hold everything together. A drizzle of jam or chocolate sauce makes it a breakfast that doubles as dessert.
Made from just four ingredients, this chocolate spread borrows its deep flavor from crunchy chocolate chip cookies, which melt down with milk, butter and dark chocolate into one thick paste. Cook it over medium-low heat, stirring now and then; it is ready when the cookie pieces have collapsed and nothing catches on the bottom of the pan. The real trick is the blender: a quick spin, under a minute, takes it from grainy to silky. No chocolate chip cookies on hand? Oreos or digestives work too; adjust the milk until it spreads easily. Stored in a lidded jar in the fridge, it keeps for about a week.
A two-ingredient sweet and salty snack: individual Pringles dipped in melted chocolate, then set on a tray straight from the freezer so the coating firms up in seconds without dripping. The chilled tray is the trick that makes this work. Prepare it by freezing a thin layer of water under a second tray while you melt about 100 g (3½ oz) of chocolate in the microwave for around 1 minute, stirring until smooth. Shake off the excess after each dip to keep the shell thin. You will know they are done when the surface turns from glossy and wet to matte. Milk, dark or white chocolate all work here.
A full tube of stacked Pringles becomes one solid chocolate bar you cut into thick slices: melted chocolate squeezed down through the chips sets in every gap, locking the salty crisps inside. The trick is melting both bars right in their wrappers in a pan of boiling water for 3–4 minutes, then snipping a corner and piping straight in. Before chilling, tap the tube firmly on the counter a few times; that knocks out air pockets that would leave the bar crumbly when cut. Two standard bars, about 200 g (7 oz) total, fill one tube. Once it feels solid right through, peel away the cardboard and slice.