Try dark chocolate dipped strawberries with mini chocolate chips and coconut. Or try milk chocolate strawberries with nuts. The possibilities are limitless.
If you can find them, use chocolate melting wafers -- the kind used for making candy -- for these chocolate covered strawberries. They are easiest to work with. If not, use chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate melting wafers (in a pinch, you can use chips or chopped chocolate)
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and dried completely with a paper towel
Preparation:
- Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
- Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe container. Heat on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir and continue heating on 50% power in 30-second increments until melted.
- Holding by the stem, dip each strawberry in the chocolate mixture, then lay on the waxed paper to harden. Refrigerate strawberries when finished.
Helpful hints:
- Make sure strawberries are well-dried. The drier they are, the easier it will be for the chocolate to cling.
- Use melting chocolate wafers, if you can find them. They melt the easiest.
- If using regular chocolate, chop finely with a knife.
- Use a the best-quality chocolate you can find. If you're using a really dark chocolate (more than 63% cacao, add another tablespoon of butter.
- Work quickly. Each time you dip the strawberries, the chocolate will cool off a little, making it harder to cover the strawberries.
- If the chocolate gets hard, add a little butter and heat again in the microwave on 50% power for 20-30 seconds to warm it up again.
- Line up your ingredients next to each other to make an assembly line: first the strawberries, then the chocolate, then the baking sheet.
- If you don't mind working at the stove, try melting the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low simmering water. This will keep the chocolate warmer longer.
