How to make festive chocolate decorations

Add a bit of festive flair to your cakes, bakes, and even your Christmas tree with these fun chocolate decorations

There’s no denying that chocolate is delicious (trust us, we’re pretty set on that). It also makes an excellent gift. Whether it’s a selection of stocking fillers or a generous Christmas hamper, chocolate is the perfect way to put a smile on a loved one’s face this December. But if you fancy getting creative with your cocoa, why not try making some festive chocolate decorations? They’re quick and fun to make but, more importantly, they look and taste great! 

Festive chocolate decorations

From table decorations that will impress your dinner guests to yummy baubles that will keep the kids entertained, there are plenty of ways to use chocolate in your Christmas decor. Here are some of our favourite Yuletide chocolate decorations ideas.

Chocolate bark for a table centrepiece

Chocolate bark is one of the easiest and most effective ways to decorate your Christmas table with chocolate.

All you need to do is melt 200g of your favourite dark chocolate, either in short bursts in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir until smooth, then spoon onto a baking tray lined with parchment.

Spread the melted chocolate across the tray with a spatula. The beauty of chocolate bark is that you can top it with whatever nibbles you like. From mini marshmallows, raisins, and pretzel pieces to broken up candy canes, load it up! Scatter your toppings of choice over your bark.

For a traditional festive look, add red berries and sugar leaves or red and green sprinkles.

Chill the tray in the fridge until your bark is solid. Once set, you can either snap the bark into shards or leave it to warm slightly and cut it with a sharp knife.

Arrange your bark in a spiral, rustic pile, or to frame other decorations, then add a dusting of icing sugar.

Fancy something ready-made but just as impactful? Take a look at our Festive Chocolate Wreaths. Studded with nibbly cookies and caramelised-almond florentines, this generous creation looks delightful at any table. And when you’re ready to tuck in, just cut the wreath into slices and share the Yuletide joy.

Alternatively, there’s the Large Festive Dark Chocolate Wreath: a show-stopping festive sculpture of rich dark chocolate, nuts and dried fruit. Our wreaths also make impressive Christmas gifts.

Easy chocolate bauble decorations

Do you remember what a treat it was to choose a chocolate from the Christmas tree as a child? Now you can make the experience all the more magical with homemade chocolate tree decorations.

This bauble design is a great way to get the kids involved. Simple but effective, these baubles look lovely on any Christmas tree, and you can make them as big or small as you like. Little ones will love getting creative with their decorating.

All you need is:

• 100g high-quality chocolate
• Sprinkles, silver balls, and any other festive cake decorations you fancy
• Baking parchment 
• Ribbon or baking twine

Melt your chocolate of choice in a heatproof bowl over a pan of water (a bain-marie) until it’s gooey, glossy, and gorgeous. You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate. How about going for creamy White Vanilla Chocolate for some subtle sweetness?

While the chocolate is melting, create loops with your twine or ribbon — this is what your baubles will hang from.

Lay the loops on your baking parchment, then spoon a dollop of melted chocolate onto the knotted end of your loops, spreading it out into a circular bauble shape.

You can add whichever sparkles, sprinkles and sweets you like to the chocolate discs before they set.

After an hour, your chocolate tree decorations should peel away from the baking parchment and be ready to hang on the tree. You can also wrap each bauble in foil to keep them fresh. (That’s if they hang around long enough without being eaten!)

Opulent 3D chocolate baubles

If you’d like to create some more intricate chocolate decorations for your tree, look no further than these 3D chocolate baubles.

For these impressive ornaments, you’ll need a set of half-sphere moulds (silicone moulds work well), a piping bag, and 300g of dark chocolate. We recommend going for dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, so you get a nice glossy finish after cooling and chilling. Our 70% or 85% Dark Chocolate Batons are ideal. Or, for a hint of festive citrus, why not try our Dark Chocolate Orange Slab?

To make your 3D baubles, first, chill your mould in the freezer while you melt your chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave.

Once melted, remove your chocolate from the heat, stir until it’s smooth, and leave it to cool for 5 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to hold its shape — but hasn’t started to set — spoon it into a piping bag.

Take your moulds out of the freezer and pipe crisscrossing chocolate lines into each sphere so that they touch, but there are gaps between them.

Put them in the freezer for 5 minutes to set, then repeat piping lines and freeze another four or five times until you have a netted shell of chocolate. It can be as neat or rustic as you like!

Once you have your bauble shells, take the moulds out of the freezer and let them stand for 10 minutes. Turn out your moulds, then put your half baubles into pairs.

Melt any remaining chocolate and dab or pipe a small amount along the top edges of your shells, then sandwich them together. Tie a loop of ribbon through one of the gaps in each bauble and chill them in the fridge to set. Et, voila!

Chocolate delights for the festive season

Whether you decide to make your own festive ornaments or pick up some Jolly Penguins and enchanting Chocolate Christmas Trees, chocolate decorations are a fun, tasty and effective way to bring a little extra joy to your Yuletide. Have a merry time!