• How To: Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    plaque-chocolate-covered-strawberries

    Chocolate covered strawberries are one of my favorite treats.

    how-to-chocolate-covered-strawberries

    Have you made it through the summer without eating chocolate dipped strawberries? I hope not! Dipped strawberries are so delicious and easy to make. And if you give them to your kids for a sort-of healthy dessert after a family dinner, they will not complain!

    You can easily make these beautiful and delicious treats for a wedding favor, or serve them at a bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, or even for dessert for your family tonight.

     Here are some tips I learned while working at Aunt Joy’s Cakes, owned by legendary actress Joy Harmon (the sexy car washing girl in Cool Hand Luke.) She and her daughters are sweethearts, and when I worked at Aunt Joy’s making desserts for the studios, they trained me well.

    Step 1: Soak strawberries
    Step 2: Set them out to dry
    Step 3: Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or wax paper
    Step 4: Melt chocolate
    Step 5: Dip berries in chocolate and place them on the cookie sheet
    Step 6: Put them in the refrigerator
    Optional: Decorate with white chocolate drizzle
    Enjoy!

     You will need:

    Ten medium to large strawberries
    4 ounces of any kind of dark chocolate (more for dipping extra goodies) 
    You can use milk chocolate but it is finicky so just use dark chocolate
     Supplies:
    Paper towels or dish towels to dry berries
    Parchment or wax paper
    Cookie sheet (large plate or baking pan is fine too)
    Microwave-safe bowl
     

    Optional

    To decorate the berries you will need:
    White chocolate, milk chocolate, or more dark chocolate
    Icing bag
    Tip for icing, size 1 or 2
    Cooking oil

     

     Step 1: Soak strawberries

    Wash the strawberries by placing them in a bowl of cool water. Let them soak for five to ten minutes. This will brighten their color and perk up the green leaves.

     

    Step 2: Set them out to dry

    lots-of-strawberries

    Arrange towels on the counter and set the berries in rows. Have you ever noticed that there is one side that sits more red and pretty? Set each berry with the pretty side up. Pat the berries dry.

     

    Step 3: Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or wax paper

    Make some room in your refrigerator to fit the cookie sheet while the chocolate cools.

    Important: Don’t start dipping in chocolate until the strawberries are completely dry.

    Drops of water will make the chocolate hard or lumpy. You can dry the strawberries one by one if you need to.

     

    Step 4: Melt chocolate

    chocolate-for-dipping-strawberries

    I like to use Royal Dark by Cadbury (about $1.50 for 3.5 ounces) or Trader Joe’s massive bar of Belgium Chocolate (about $5 for over 16 ounces).

    You can add 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil to the chocolate to make it easier to work with
    You can add 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil to the chocolate to make it easier to work with

    melted-chocolate-for-dipping-strawberries

    Place dark chocolate in bowl and microwave for only 20 or 30 seconds. Stir chocolate. Microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir until smooth. If needed, microwave for another 10-15 seconds and stir. Repeat if you need to, but be careful because it might burn.

     

    Step 5: Dip berries in chocolate and place them on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet

    dipped-strawberries-on-parchment-paper

    Hold the green leaves and dip diagonally so you have a somewhat diagonal line. I like to dip about halfway, or I try to just leave enough red to keep it pretty. Set each berry about an inch apart on the parchment paper.

     

     Step 6: Put dipped berries in the refrigerator

    cool-chocolate-in-refrigerator

    This is important for the chocolate to cool quickly. If you let it sit out, the chocolate might bloom, which is the word for that light brownish film that chocolate sometimes gets. It makes the chocolate look old, but really it just means the chocolate has been heated and cooled, or un-tempered. Do not put them in the freezer or the berries will get mushy.

     Chocolate-covered strawberries are best the same day they are dipped. If you are making these for a party or shower, give yourself some time to make them the morning of the event.

     

     

     Optional Drizzle:

    piping-bag-white-chocolate

    Prepare your icing bag by cutting off the tip of the bag and securing the metal tip through the hole. If the plastic is too flimsy, the tip may fall out and make a white chocolate mess (which has happened to me a few times!) You can get disposable icing bags at Michael’s or other cake supply stores. I got my icing bags and decorating tips at Jane’s Cake and Chocolate Supply in La Canada.

     I like to use white chocolate chips to make this really easy and really pretty drizzle. You can also use more dark chocolate or milk chocolate instead.

    Place white chocolate in a clean bowl with ½ teaspoon cooking oil. Microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir. Repeat if needed until the white chocolate is smooth. The oil is great for thinning the white chocolate, but don’t add too much or it will get runny. Try adding more oil or more white chocolate to get a good consistency for drizzling. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the oil.

     Spoon the melted white chocolate into your icing bag. Get the air bubbles out by pushing the white chocolate down into the tip.

     Take your tray of berries out of the refrigerator. If the chocolate is hard, they are ready for decorating.

    Drizzle the white chocolate back and forth across each berry, following the diagonal line of the dark chocolate. Or write your initial or make another design of your choice.

    white-chocolate-drizzle-on-strawberries

    strawberries-closeup

    Put the berries back in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them!

     Presentation is everything, right?

    Put each strawberry in a white cupcake paper and arrange them on a platter lined with a large doily. Or arrange them on a serving platter of your choice. Enjoy!

    strawberries-in-white-cupcake-paper

     I recently made these berries for a friend’s bridal shower.

    bridal-shower-desserts

     Lovely and delicious!

    What should I do with this extra melted chocolate, you ask? Try dipping these delights:

     Raisins
    Dried apricots
    Dried peaches
    Almonds, peanuts, or macademia nuts
    Fig Newtons
    Sliced Pineapple
    Apple slices
    Banana slices
    Sunflower seeds
    Oatmeal cookies
    Chocolate chip cookies
    Oreos
    Marshmallows
    Rice Krispy treats
    Or your favorite cookie

    chocolate-dipped-dried-fruit

    Make yourself at home! Write a comment!