Chocolate Dipped Strawberry’s

I have always loved chocolate dipped strawberry’s. The way the chocolate is drizzled over them or they are “dressed” in tuxedos amazes me to no end.  Yes, sometimes I’m easily entertained!  It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know earlier in my life how easy these little bundles of delicious joy were to create.  These detailed instruction will help you get on the road to creating these masterpieces.  Chocolate covered strawberry’s are always an appropriate item for your menu and once you see how easy they are you will serve them often.

Make sure you temper your chocolate according to the manufacturers instructions or your chocolate will be soft when it sets up.  Tempering will make the chocolate snap when you bite into it.  If you don’t want to bother with tempering chocolate, choose a candy coating like Ghirardelli’s Candy Coating blocks.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry’s

Ripe Strawberry’s (washed and dried)

white chocolate or candy coating

dark chocolate or candy coating

Chop the white chocolate into uniform pieces; about the size of a pecan works well.  Temper the chocolate according to the manufacturers instructions or if using candy coating, melt in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds then stir.  Continue microwaving the candy coating at 30 second intervals stirring between until it has melted and is smooth.  Dip strawberry’s straight down into the chocolate by holding the green stem/leaves.  Allow excess to drip off into the bowl of chocolate.  Set on a piece of parchment paper to harden.

While the white chocolate is setting up, chop the dark or milk chocolate into pecan size pieces and temper according to the manufacturers instructions or microwave the candy coating in microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds then stir.  Continue microwaving in 30 second intervals stirring between each until coating is smooth.

To “apply” the chocolate “jacket” dip the strawberry while tilted to the side.  Then lift and tilt to the other side and dip again.  Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.  Set the strawberry on parchment paper to harden.

Using the back-end of a bamboo skewer dipped in the dark or milk chocolate, apply the buttons to the front of the shirt.  To apply the bow tie, spoon a small amount of dark or milk chocolate into a baggie, snip just the corner off and squeeze two small triangle-ish shapes at the top of the white chocolate.

Spread any left over chocolate on a piece of parchment paper to harden then store for use another day or check out the follow-on post for Chocolate Peanut Clusters.  After the chocolate has set up, transfer to a platter for serving.  Your friends and family will be so impressed with your chocolate skills!

Just a quick note:  Do not refrigerate the strawberry’s after they have been dipped in chocolate.  The chocolate will constrict when refrigerated and bruise the strawberry’s making the juice run out.  Also, if you are limited on time, use the baggie to drizzle dark or milk chocolate over the white chocolate instead of putting the chocolate jackets on the strawberry’s, or leave the dark chocolate off altogether.  Just as beautiful but faster.  I hope you will try making these and add them to your recipe box.