Whatever you're eating right now, I am pretty sure it would taste better if you were eating it out of a bowl made of chocolate.

See? It makes even health food fun.

These delectable bowls are composed of one simple ingredient: dark chocolate, which is melted and cleverly molded into a bowl shape using a simple kitchen tools that just about everyone has around: small bowls, a spatula or pastry brush, and plastic wrap. Simply line the bowls with plastic, spread the melted chocolate on the lined surface, and let the chocolate become firm.

Once the bowls have set, they can act as an ingenious and delicious vessel for whatever type of food you prefer.

Recipe notes:

Don’t have a vessel that is ⅓ cup capacity? You can use any small bowl with a capacity between ¼ and ½ cup. The yield in your recipe may differ slightly depending on the size vessel you use to mold your bowls.
If you don’t have six bowls, this is ok: you can make the chocolate bowls a few at a time and re-use the same molding bowls.
Wait until right before you're ready to serve dessert to fill these babies for the best structure.

Chocolate bowls

Makes 6 bowls - Printable version here

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 bars (3.5 ounces each) dark or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Supplies:

Heavy duty plastic wrap (BPA-free)

a small spatula or pastry brush, to spread chocolate

Rounded cup or bowl with an approximately ⅓ cup capacity

Procedure:

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or by placing it in a heatproof bowl and microwaving in 15-second blasts until the chocolate is mostly melted. Once the chocolate is mostly melted, stir it gently; the remaining bits should melt in the residual heat.

Let the melted chocolate cool for 5-10 minutes. While it cools, line the inside of six small bowls with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap in as smoothly as you can to smooth it into the shape of the bowl (a few small wrinkles are OK). Use enough plastic wrap so that it slightly hangs over the sides, which will make removal easier later. If you don’t have six bowls for molding, this is ok: you can make the chocolate bowls a few at a time and re-use the same molding bowls.

Using either your small spatula or pastry brush, spread a thin and even layer of chocolate inside of the plastic wrap lining each of the molding bowls, taking special attention to spread the chocolate on the sides. Don’t go too nuts: you’ll put a second layer of chocolate in the bowls, so only use about ½ of the melted chocolate for this step. Once you’ve put a layer of chocolate in each plastic-lined bowl, place them in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. This will help them “set”.

After 10 minutes, remove each bowl unit from the refrigerator. The initial layer of chocolate should be firm and look slightly matte. Brush the inside of each bowl with another layer of chocolate, once again giving special attention to the sides of each bowl.

Return the molding bowls to the refrigerator, and let them set for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator, and use the plastic wrap overhanging the sides to pull out the chocolate bowl from the molding bowl. As gently as possible, peel the plastic wrap off. It should come off very easily, and you will be left with chocolate bowls. Keep the bowls in the refrigerator, covered in plastic, until ready to fill.

Once ready to serve, fill the bowls and enjoy!