✨ Cookie Cutter Magic: Make Your Own Chocolate Nonpareils!

A super easy, hands-on winter treat kids can create using colorful nonpareils and melted chocolate — plus a few pro tips that make all the difference! 🍬✨

What You Need

• Chocolate (dark, milk, or white — bars or chips)

• Nonpareil sprinkles

• Parchment paper

• Shallow bowl or tray (for sprinkles)

• Small Cookie Cutters

• Spoon, squeeze bottle, or piping bag

• Optional: silicone candy mold

• Optional: candy or meat thermometer

Before You Start: The Two Biggest Secrets ⭐⭐⭐

❄️ Chill the Sprinkles

Place your nonpareils in the refrigerator or freezer for 10–15 minutes before starting.

Cold sprinkles:

• Flash-set the chocolate on contact

• Prevent the candy shell from melting

• Keep sprinkles locked on the bottom instead of sinking

🌡️ Chocolate Temperature Matters

Chocolate that’s too hot will melt the sprinkles and slide underneath them. Slightly cooler chocolate sets faster and cleaner.

Step 1: Temper the Chocolate (Worth It!)

Properly tempered chocolate sets faster, looks better, and prevents seepage.

If You Have a Thermometer

Target temperatures:

• Dark chocolate

  • Melt to ~115°F (46°C)

  • Cool to ~82°F (28°C)

  • Reheat gently to 88–90°F (31–32°C) ← pouring temp

• Milk or white chocolate

  • Final pouring temp: 86–88°F (30–31°C)

If You Don’t Have a Thermometer (No Problem!)

Use these visual and touch cues instead:

• Melt chocolate fully, then let it sit 2–3 minutes off the heat

• Stir until it looks glossy, smooth, and slightly thickened

• It should feel warm, not hot to the touch

• When dripped from a spoon, it should flow smoothly but not run like water

💡 If the chocolate feels very hot or steamy, let it cool another minute before pouring.

Step 2: Make a Sprinkle Bed

• Spread chilled nonpareils in an even layer on parchment paper, or

• Sprinkle them into the bottom of a silicone mold

📌 Always pour chocolate onto sprinkles — never sprinkle on top of chocolate.

Step 3: Pour the Chocolate (Gently!)

• Spoon or pipe small, coin-sized circles of chocolate directly onto the sprinkle bed

• Keep the chocolate layer thin, not puddled

• Move slowly and avoid flooding

Too much chocolate = longer liquid time = sinking sprinkles.

Step 4: Let Them Set Undisturbed

• Let nonpareils set at cool room temperature (65–70°F / 18–21°C)

• Avoid moving or bumping them while they set

• Refrigerate only if your room is warm

Once firm, gently lift them off the parchment or pop them out of the mold.

🚫 Common Mistakes That Cause Seepage

• Chocolate that’s too hot

• Skipping tempering (or rushing cooling time)

• Warm or humid rooms

• Old or low-quality nonpareils (thin candy shell)

• Pouring chocolate under or over sprinkles instead of onto them

✨ Bonus STEM Moment

Talk with kids about:

• Why temperature changes how chocolate behaves

• How solids melt and re-harden

• Why cooling materials faster changes the final result

A delicious way to explore states of matter and cause-and-effect 🔬🍫