2025-04-06
GOURMET (ROCHER) GLAZE: THE PERFECT COATING FOR DESSERTS
A basic recipe for this popular glaze. It can be adapted to any dessert—from candies to cakes.
“Gourmet” glaze and “Rocher” glaze are two names for the same type of chocolate coating, with just one small difference.
Gourmet glaze is the basic version without any mix-ins—it’s smooth, uniform, and has a pure chocolate flavor.
Gourmet glaze is the basic version without any mix-ins—it’s smooth, uniform, and has a pure chocolate flavor.
- Rocher glaze is the version with add-ins, originally chopped nuts. It’s named after the famous Ferrero Rocher chocolates.”
Both types of glaze share two key ingredients at their core: chocolate and vegetable oil. These give the glaze its perfect consistency—fluidity, flexibility, and strength once it sets.
From there, it’s all about creativity. You can add anything that gives the glaze texture, flavor, and an eye-catching look: chopped nuts or almond flakes, pieces of freeze-dried berries, wafer crumbs, puffed rice, crispy pearls, or shredded coconut. It all depends on your vision and the result you want to achieve.
This glaze works beautifully on frozen mousse cakes, pastries, cake pops, ice cream bars, ice cream itself, and cookies.
For Easter, we even used it to coat a cottage cheese bento cake—it turned out not only delicious but stunning. Sometimes, a single glaze is all it takes to make a dessert look truly finished.
From there, it’s all about creativity. You can add anything that gives the glaze texture, flavor, and an eye-catching look: chopped nuts or almond flakes, pieces of freeze-dried berries, wafer crumbs, puffed rice, crispy pearls, or shredded coconut. It all depends on your vision and the result you want to achieve.
This glaze works beautifully on frozen mousse cakes, pastries, cake pops, ice cream bars, ice cream itself, and cookies.
For Easter, we even used it to coat a cottage cheese bento cake—it turned out not only delicious but stunning. Sometimes, a single glaze is all it takes to make a dessert look truly finished.
Once set, it creates a delightful crispy shell with an intense chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
You can use any type of chocolate—dark, milk, or white. Professional couverture chocolate in callets (small discs) works best because it melts evenly and gives reliable results. We most often use white or milk chocolate.
Method
- Chocolate — 300 g (about 10.5 oz)
- Vegetable oil — 60 g (about 2 oz)
You can use any type of chocolate—dark, milk, or white. Professional couverture chocolate in callets (small discs) works best because it melts evenly and gives reliable results. We most often use white or milk chocolate.
Method
- Melt the chocolate until smooth. You can do this over a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. If using the microwave, heat in intervals of 10–15 seconds, stirring thoroughly each time to prevent overheating.
- Add the vegetable oil to the melted chocolate and blend with an immersion blender. If you want to color the glaze, add fat-soluble powder colorants at this stage.
- If desired, stir in crunchy mix-ins, using a spatula to combine evenly.
- Cool the glaze to the appropriate working temperature. The cooler it is, the thicker the glaze will be and the more substantial the coating. Here’s a rough guide:
- White chocolate: 26–30 °C (79–86°F)
- Milk chocolate: 28–30 °C (82–86°F)
- Dark chocolate: 30–32 °C (86–90°F)
For the chicken drumsticks made from cake pops dough, we used glaze at a temperature of 26 °C (about 79°F). You can find the step-by-step recipe and a detailed video tutorial on how to make these drumsticks in this article.
How to Use the Glaze
It’s easiest to dip small items directly into the glaze, while larger desserts are best coated by gently pouring the glaze over the top. You can cover the entire dessert or just part of it, depending on your design.
After glazing, let it set for a few minutes. Place the dessert in the fridge for a short time—the glaze firms up quickly and forms a crisp, crunchy shell.
It’s easiest to dip small items directly into the glaze, while larger desserts are best coated by gently pouring the glaze over the top. You can cover the entire dessert or just part of it, depending on your design.
After glazing, let it set for a few minutes. Place the dessert in the fridge for a short time—the glaze firms up quickly and forms a crisp, crunchy shell.
Use It Right Away or Make It Ahead
The glaze keeps very well in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. Before using it, simply reheat it to the desired working temperature.
The glaze keeps very well in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. Before using it, simply reheat it to the desired working temperature.
Our Favorite Flavor Combinations
To make sure your glaze isn’t just great in texture but also delicious in taste, choose mix-ins that pair well with the type of chocolate you’re using.
Share your creations and ideas on social media—we always love seeing how you bring these recipes to life!
To make sure your glaze isn’t just great in texture but also delicious in taste, choose mix-ins that pair well with the type of chocolate you’re using.
- For dark chocolate: almond flakes, candied fruits (especially orange and cherry), crushed coffee beans, or sea salt.
- For milk chocolate: wafer crumbs, crispy pearls, coconut, peanuts, hazelnuts, freeze-dried berries, or crushed crackers.
- For white chocolate: dried lime zest, freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios, or walnuts.
Share your creations and ideas on social media—we always love seeing how you bring these recipes to life!