15 Things You Should Cover With Chocolate Slideshow

The grey, post-holiday months of January and February, when happy celebrations feel few and far between are the perfect time to practice your chocolate-dipping skills and bring joy to the kitchen. There are many ways you can enjoy a chocolate-dipped treat; it all depends on how you like your chocolate.

Perhaps you just want to cloak everything in smooth, warm, melted chocolate — in that case, chocolate fondue is for you. You can dip bread, fruit, cookies, or cake into the molten chocolate — but really, chances are whatever you submerge in quality chocolate will be delicious and a joy to eat.

Perhaps you are craving chocolate that is set but still soft, for a bite that gives way with ease as with these chocolate-covered strawberries. Adding a little fat to the melted chocolate — for instance, using cream with the chocolate to make a thick ganache, or adding about a teaspoon of shortening to every half cup of melted chocolate — will give you a smoother, more manageable consistency for dipping. Bonus tip: If you add coconut oil to melted chocolate you'll have a "magic shell" for your ice cream.

If you want chocolate that is smooth, glossy, and hardens when you leave it to dry, you'll need to temper it. You can tell that chocolate is tempered if you hear a sharp, clean crack when you break a piece of it. If truffles are on your holiday baking to-do list, tempering is essential.

So make 2018 the year you learn all about cooking with chocolate and then proceed to dip everything you can in chocolate. These 15 chocolate covered recipe are a great place to start.

The title says it all — these chocolately treats are sweet, salty, and savory all at once.

For the Chocolate Bacon Almond Butter Bananas recipe, click here.

This interesting combo would be a fantastic accompaniment to a cheese board. The garlic is roasted until caramelized and sweet, pairing surprising well with chocolate.

For the Chocolate-Covered Roasted Garlic recipe, click here.

Chocolate-dipped dried figs are incredibly easy to make but they look elegant on a dessert platter or cheese plate. You are sure to impress your guests with this one.

For the Chocolate-Dipped Figs recipe, click here.

You would never know that these rich chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons are vegan and gluten-free.

For the Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons recipe, click here.

Absolutely perfect for the holidays, these festive, pink-colored, peppermint-flavored marshmallows are dipped in glossy dark chocolate and sprinkled with crunchy peppermint candy.

For the Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Marshmallows recipe, click here.

Strawberries are a chocolate-covered classic and a New Year's staple. When making these strawberries, make sure you either temper the chocolate or add a teaspoon of shortening for every half a cup of chocolate to get a smooth, dippable chocolate.

For the Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries recipe, click here.

The red and white coloring of these floral white chocolate truffles is perfect for the holidays.

For the White Chocolate Hibiscus Truffles recipe, click here.