Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries make for a tantalizing, elegant and easy candy dessert. Making chocolate covered strawberries is not very difficult. Our easy-to-follow recipes will teach you how to make chocolate covered strawberries at home. Here’s a simple dark chocolate covered strawberries recipe that you are going to have fun preparing.

This recipe for chocolate covered strawberries requires
• Milk chocolate chips – 16 ounces
• Shortening – 2 tablespoons
• Strawberries with leaves – 1 pound

These chocolate dipped and covered strawberries are quite easy to make. Start by inserting toothpicks into the strawberry tips.

Next melt the shortening and chocolate in a double boiler and stir it occasionally till it becomes smooth. After taking this mixture off the heat dip the strawberries in it with the help of the toothpicks. Take some Styrofoam and insert the toothpick into it so that your chocolate cools.

White chocolate covered strawberries are also quite easy to make. This recipe for chocolate covered strawberries requires
• 2 cups of white baking chips
• Shortening – 1 tablespoon
• Large strawberries along with the leaves
• Semisweet chocolate chips – ½ cup
• Shortening – 1 teaspoon

To prepare the chocolate covered strawberries, you have to first take a cookie sheet and line it with waxed paper. Take the baking chips and shortening (one tablespoon) in a saucepan and heat on a low flame. Make sure you stir the mixture continuously until your white chocolate chips melt. Pork a toothpick or fork into the side of the strawberry near the stem and dip it into the chocolate mixture, taking care to leave the top one-fourth potion of the strawberry uncoated. Care should be taken not to coat the leaves as well. Place these sugar coated strawberries on the waxed paper sheets. Next heat the chocolate chips along with one teaspoon of shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Place this uncovered bowl in a microwave and heat uncovered on medium heat for a minute or so or till you can smoothly stir the mixture. With the help of a small spoon, lightly drizzle this mixture over the strawberries you had prepared earlier and refrigerate till the coating sets.

Milk chocolate covered strawberries also taste great and are easy to make. To prepare this recipe you will need
• Ripe strawberries – 1 dozen
• Milk chocolate – 1 cup

Start by lining a baking sheet with some aluminum foil. Wash and dry the strawberries. Take a microwavable bowl and place the milk chocolate in it. Microwave this chocolate for about two minutes and stir after 45 seconds. Do this till the chocolate melts. Take a strawberry and dip it into the chocolate mixture with the help of the stem. Twirl the strawberry so that you are able to evenly cover the entire berry. While taking the strawberry out of the mixture, gently tap it against the side of the bowl to ensure that any excess chocolate drains off. Next place the strawberry on the baking sheet you had prepared, and repeat the procedure with the other strawberries as well. Allow the chocolate to set by refrigerating the strawberries for about 30 minutes. Eat them the same day you make them.

For those who do not have the time and are wondering where to buy chocolate covered strawberries don’t worry. You can order some of the best chocolate covered strawberries online and have them delivered to your house. You could also go to your nearest grocery store and check if they have a stock of these strawberries. Chocolate covered strawberries given as gift baskets are appreciated by all. They make the perfect gift for every occasion be it Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or anniversary celebrations. In fact, chocolate covered strawberries at wedding ceremonies and rehearsal dinners are made in the shape of tuxedos. Such treats are a great hit at fundraisers and formal affairs.

Here are some tips to help you ensure that your chocolate covered strawberries turn out well and that you know exactly how to store them or serve them up.
• Ensure that the strawberries that you buy are fresh, large and ripe. While selecting the strawberries, make sure that they have no soft spots, bruises or white patches. The aroma of the strawberries should be rich and fruity. The strawberries should also have no drying hulls or surface mold. Look for strawberries with a one and a half inch diameter size. All this will ensure that your chocolate covered strawberries turn out perfect.
• Strawberries are extremely gentle and easily bruise, so make sure you take care while washing them. To dry them, use an absorbent paper toweling and gently pat them.
• You can use chocolate of your choice be it milk, dark, or white chocolate. You could also combine all three chocolate if you are looking for variety. If you are a novice at making chocolate covered strawberries, go in for chocolate chips or chocolate melting wafer variety as they are the easiest to work with.
• For the best chocolate covered strawberries, use chocolate that is tempered to dip your strawberries in. This will ensure that your strawberries have a glossy and crisp texture. The advantage of tempered chocolate is that it lasts longer without any white spots forming on it. Another option you have to make your strawberries shiny and smooth is to add some shortening, butter, or vegetable oil to the chocolate while melting it.
• Storing chocolate covered strawberries is easy; the chocolate covered strawberries plate has to be placed in a container with a paper towel lining the container’s bottom and some baking soda sprinkled on it. Cover this container and refrigerate. Your strawberries will last for at least a week.
• Use nut cups or a platter that is lined with a decorative paper doily to serve your chocolate covered strawberries. If you are using nut cups, you could serve one chocolate covered strawberry at a time or you could serve two or three smaller fruits in an individual dessert plate. You could also serve them alongside a tall glass of nonalcoholic or alcoholic beverage. Either way people are just going to love your chocolate covered strawberries.

Submitted on January 16, 2014