Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like delicious sweet treats dipped in rich chocolate. My favorite? Chocolate covered strawberries. They’re more than expensive to buy at gourmet chocolate shops or to have delivered to your door. Making them at home is a much more affordable option, but if you’ve ever tried, you may have realized that there is an art to getting the perfectly dipped strawberry. Dipping strawberries is quick and easy, and it can be done without your strawberry being blanketed in a strange chocolate lump.
To get started, make sure you pick ripe strawberries. There is no set number to get; it depends on how many you want to eat! When you’re ready, wash and dry the strawberries. Make sure they are completely dry, or the chocolate won’t harden properly. Then, lay them out on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
Next comes the best part: the chocolate. A lot of people like to microwave chocolate chips, but I found a recipe that calls for melting the chocolate over the stove. First, get 6 oz. of chocolate (I prefer semi-sweet), and place it in a bowl. You can use chocolate in the form of chips, bars, or squares. I used chips, but it doesn’t really matter! Then, fill a small saucepan with a couple of inches of water, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat, and place the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt. The water shouldn’t be higher than the bowl. When the chocolate is melted and has a nice consistency, you’re ready to dip!
Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Hold the strawberries by the stem, and dip them into the chocolate. Pull the strawberry straight out of the chocolate, twisting slightly and lightly shaking it to get rid of any excess chocolate. If there’s still excess, scrape the strawberry on the side of the bowl. Repeat until all the strawberries have been dipped.
In order for the chocolate to set, the strawberries must be kept in the fridge for about 15 to 30 minutes. When the chocolate has hardened, remove them from the fridge and store at room temperature if there are any left!
Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!