Make Your Own Chocolate Covered Strawberries

There’s something special about strawberries covered in chocolate. These sweet treats may taste decadent, but they don’t have to be. You can make scrumptious, impressive-looking chocolate-dipped strawberries without breaking the calorie bank and without resorting to “fake” food.

Of course, you can cover just about any fruit in chocolate. Strawberries are traditional because they’re easy to work with and delicious. They’re also highly nutritious. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese (a mineral needed for proper brain function). They also contain a beneficial amount of folate (vitamin B9) and potassium. In addition, as with most bright red fruits and vegetables, strawberries are rich in antioxidants and plant compounds believed to benefit heart function and help control blood sugar.

Chocolate-covered strawberries start with fresh strawberries. If they’re organic, in season, and locally produced, they will be the freshest, sweetest, and most delicious choice.

The exact dates of strawberry season vary depending on where you are. The central United States, and most of the country, enjoys a relatively long strawberry season from April through June. The peak harvest time is about three weeks long and usually falls from late May to early June, depending on the weather. In the Southern United States, the peak season is from late April to early May. And in Canada, the peak arrives around the end of June.

But peak strawberry season isn’t the only time of year you can make delicious chocolate-covered strawberries! Even off-peak berries taste fantastic when you dip them in good quality chocolate.

During peak season, you may be able to purchase strawberries with extra-long stems. Those are the easiest to work with. When you can’t get extra-long stems, short shish kebab sticks (3-inches or so), party picks, or cocktail picks also work very well.

I prefer to leave the green leafy tops on the berries. The greens help hold the skewer more securely. Also, be sure not to push the pick all the way through the berry.

For dipping berries, I prefer to melt my chocolate using a double boiler rather than the microwave. I find I have more control over the process on the stovetop where I can watch it closely and remove it from heat the instant it’s ready. I sometimes burn chocolate in the microwave. I think it’s because when it’s behind a closed door, it’s too easy to allow myself to become distracted.

Use good quality chocolate. It doesn’t matter what kind. Suit your own taste. Here, I’m mixing a very rich 70% cacao bar with a good quality milk chocolate. I’m using 1.76 oz. (2 bars) of Moser Roth 70% cacao and 1.4 oz. (1 small bar) Choceur milk chocolate from Aldi, but you can pop for Godiva or Ghirardelli if that’s your thing. You will need 3 – 3.5 oz. in total. My family prefers this ratio of dark to milk chocolate, but feel free to shift the ratios to suit your tastes.

Whatever chocolate you choose, this is not the time for chips. They contain ingredients designed to help them retain their shape while being baked into a cookie. As a result, they won’t melt into the ultra-smooth chocolate you want.

Before you bring your water up to a boil, be sure to check the size of your bowl. Make sure that it will sit down into your pot without touching the water. I prefer a glass or ceramic bowl for melting chocolate, but a metal bowl will also work.

Do not attempt to melt chocolate over a double boiler using a plastic bowl. Exposing plastics to heat can cause them to release chemicals into your food. This can make your chocolate taste bad, and it can be harmful to your health, according to Harvard Medical School.

Never heat your chocolate to more than 120° F. Doing so will cause the chocolate to lose some of its delectable flavor. Also, be very careful not to get any water into the chocolate. Avoid the steam too. Allowing your chocolate to come into contact with water will cause the chocolate to seize up, and the results will be a lumpy mess, not the silky, smooth outcome you want.

Once you notice your chocolate is beginning to melt, stir it and continue stirring it until you remove it from the heat (take it off the double boiler).

If you want to temper the chocolate, you’ll need a chocolate or digital thermometer. Heat about two-thirds of your chocolate to 110-115° F and remove it from the double boiler. Stir in the remaining chocolate to cool it down. Keep stirring until the temperature drops to about 89° F. You’ll want to keep it about this temperature to work with it. So, keep your water simmering on the stove. You may need to reheat the chocolate from time to time. Don’t heat it above 91° F. It’s a lot of work to temper the chocolate, but you will be rewarded with a crispy chocolate coating that remains shiny even after hardening.

I did not temper the chocolate in this batch. I chose to melt it, dip my berries, and let them harden in the refrigerator. I wasn’t going for shiny and impressive. I was going for immediate and impressively delicious.

Even if you’re not tempering your chocolate, I recommend you stir it for several minutes after taking it off the double boiler. This will cool it down enough that it won’t damage your berries.

Dipping strawberries in chocolate works the way you might think it does. Simply dunk the berry and swirl it around in the melted chocolate to cover it. You may need to use a spoon to help cover the berry, especially once you’ve dipped a few and you have less chocolate in your bowl.

Once coated in chocolate, hold the berry over the bowl for a few seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip off and run back into the bowl.

You will want to work fairly quickly, so your chocolate doesn’t get too cold to work with. That’s why you insert all of the skewers into the berries before melting the chocolate. If you want to double-dip your chocolate, wait for the first coat to begin to harden. Usually, by the time I’ve dipped all of the berries once, the first ones I did are ready to go in for a second dip.

Dipping a second time will make them more chocolatey, but it will also increase the calories and the amount of sugar and carbohydrates of each berry. So, if you’re looking for a light indulgence, stick to one dip. They will still be delicious.

Make Your Own Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

3

minutes

Assembly time

12

minutes

Cooling time

20

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

These scrumptious chocolate-dipped strawberries come together in no time with just a few simple ingredients. They’re so delicious and impressive looking, no one will suspect how easy they are to make.

Ingredients

• 12 medium strawberries, long-stemmed if available

• 3-3.5 ounces good quality chocolate

Directions

• Line a small plate or tray with parchment paper.
• Wash strawberries under cool water and pat dry.
• If using short-stemmed strawberries, pierce each berry with a small bamboo skewer or cocktail pick through the top (green part).
• Heat an inch of water on the stove until it boils softly.
• Break up or chop chocolate and place in a glass or ceramic bowl.
• Place bowl of chocolate atop the pan of hot water. Stir chocolate until it is melted.
• Remove bowl from heat, being careful not to get any water into the chocolate.
• Once off the heat, stir the chocolate for several minutes to cool it down.
• Once cool (ideally about 89° F), begin dipping berries, one at a time. Swirl the berry in the chocolate to coat all of the red part. You may need to spoon some chocolate onto the berry.
• Place chocolate-dipped strawberry onto parchment-lined plate or tray.
• When all the berries are dipped, place them in the refrigerator for 20-minutes or more to cool.
• Strawberries are ready to eat when the chocolate has set.

Notes

• If you want to dress up the berries, you can roll them in crushed nuts or candy sprinkles right after dipping in the chocolate.
• This is a fun dessert to make with kids. You can melt the chocolate, and they can dip the berries.