Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom Thumb. All opinions are 100% mine.

Need a quick & easy dessert? Make a batch of decadent chocolate covered strawberries with a few budget-friendly ingredients from your pantry. Dipped fruit looks super fancy, but is so simple to fix at home. Pair it with fresh flowers for a thoughtful gift that's perfect for any occasion (or just because).

I love chocolate covered strawberries, but buying them pre-made? Not so much! They usually cost dollars apiece. Eek! Thankfully, they're SUPER easy to make at home with simple, budget-friendly ingredients.

TIP: Use the extra money you save to treat yourself to a box of truffles from a chocolatier. Or a couple of good steaks. A variety of cured meats & cheeses for a charcuterie board. Enough ingredients to make several Gingerbread White Russians. Maybe a vat of queso & a pitcher of margaritas. Whatever makes you happy.

And if you go the homemade route, you'll score major brownie points with your recipient. Especially if it's a birthday, anniversary, or holiday (like Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day).

Why? The dipped strawberries look so dang FANCY, they'll think you spend hours carefully crafting them in the kitchen.

NOPE. But no one needs to know that. Just smile, feign exhaustion, and soak up all the feel-good praise. ;)

Oh, and while you're already melting chocolate for these strawberries, go ahead and dip some ice cream cookie sandwiches, shortbread cookies, and peanut butter balls. You can thank me later.

Ingredients for Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• Fresh Strawberries: Look for strawberries that are bright red (so they're sweet enough) but are still firm. The ones that are deep red are likely super ripe and might be a bit mushy. If they're in a clear plastic carton, flip it upside down to inspect all the berries before purchasing.
• Chocolate Chips (dark, white, or milk): I buy good quality chocolate chips for my baking recipes, so I use the same ones for dipping fruit or cookies. If you want a glossier coating that will hold up a bit better over 1-2 days (i.e. won't start to crystallize), use chocolate melting wafers instead. FYI: I always use more chocolate than I technically need for dipping, just so I have some buffer in case I end up wanting to dip more fruit or use some for drizzling on top.
• Coconut Oil or Unsalted Butter: This is the secret ingredient for dipping things in chocolate. It makes the melted chocolate smoother (easier to dip) and when it hardens, a bit softer (so it doesn't break into quite so many pieces). I used coconut oil from O Organics®. You can use unrefined or refined, they both work the same. The only difference is that unrefined has a mild coconut smell & taste. Unsalted butter works well, too, if you have that on hand.
• Toppings (optional): I used finely chopped hazelnuts from Open Nature® and pink decorating sugar (colored with beet juice) for almost half of my berries. Vanilla infused turbinado sugar would be a lovely option to make them extra special. Looking for something different? I share more topping ideas further down in the post.

How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1. Wash & Dry The Strawberries: Do this as soon as you get home from the store, so the berries have time to air dry. You want the strawberries very dry because any moisture will make it difficult for the chocolate coating to stick.
2. Melt The Chocolate: I do this in 20-second intervals using a glass (or ceramic) bowl in the microwave. A double boiler on the stovetop works, if you prefer that method (it takes a bit longer). Heat the chocolate at 50% power so it melts more gently or full power (100%) and just check on it more often. As soon as the chocolate chips start to soften, stir them to melt completely. It usually doesn't take me longer than 1-2 minutes total for each batch of chocolate chips.
3. Dip The Strawberries: Gather the leaves in your fingers so they don't get in the way and hold them gently while dipping the strawberry in the melted chocolate. I tilt the strawberry on all sides so about 2/3 or 3/4 of it is covered in chocolate. It doesn't have to be perfectly even.
4. Let The Excess Chocolate Drip Off: Once the strawberries are coated, hold the strawberry a few inches above the melted chocolate and shake it gently so any excess chocolate drips off. This creates a more even coating and prevents a huge pool of chocolate from forming underneath the strawberry as it hardens.
5. (Optional) Roll Wet Strawberries in Topping(s): If you want an additional coating around the chocolate, place your preferred topping (like finely chopped nuts) on a small plate and gently roll the berry across it until it's coated on all sides.
6. Place on Tray To Let Chocolate Harden: Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a large flat baking sheet or tray. Place the wet berries on the sheet at least an inch apart so they can air dry until the chocolate solidifies. This takes a bit longer with the bit of coconut oil mixed in and in my experience, white chocolate hardens faster than milk or dark.

Need to make them in advance? You can do this one day ahead of time. Once the chocolate coating has hardened, cover the strawberries with a paper towel to help absorb any moisture (the chocolate will sweat in the fridge), place them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator. Remove the berries 30 minutes before you're ready to eat and gently blot with a towel to remove any excess moisture that's formed. They won't look quite as pretty, but they will still be delicious.

Topping Ideas

A plain coating of your favorite chocolate is perfectly fine, but if you want to make them a bit fancier or create some variety for a dessert tray, you can roll your dipped strawberries in one or more toppings. Here are some ideas:

• crushed cookies (shortbread or mint chocolate would be amazing)
• crushed candy (like peanut butter cups or toffee bits)
• crushed pretzels (for a sweet & salty combo)
• finely chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts here but pistachios or peanuts would be sooo good)
• sprinkles (for a colorful presentation - I like to find ones with natural dyes)
• lemon glaze (use the easy recipe from my cherry turnovers with lemon glaze post)
• flaky sea salt (wait until the chocolate has started to set a little bit so it doesn't dissolve immediately)
• crushed freeze-dried strawberries (for a bright pop of color & flavor - if you have any leftovers, use them for this homemade strawberry cake)
• colored and/or flavored coarse sugar (it needs to be larger & coarse otherwise it won't adhere well)

Tips For Making Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

• Pick ripe berries for more strawberry flavor, but make sure they're still firm (not mushy). Check your carton first to make sure there are no moldy berries before bringing them home (this happens occasionally).
• If you want your berries to be more uniform in size, buy two cartons and pick the best from both until you have about 16 oz. Wash, dry & freeze the rest for fruit smoothies, milkshakes, or homemade strawberry ice cream. You could also use any extra to make stuffed strawberries!
• Make sure the strawberries are VERY dry before dipping them because chocolate & water do not mix well!
• Keep the leaves intact so you can grasp them when dipping the strawberries.
• If the leaves fall off (or you prefer it without) insert two toothpicks or a fork into the top of each strawberry to make dipping easier.
• After dipping each berry, gently shake it over the bowl of melted chocolate to remove as much excess chocolate as possible. This helps prevent a large pool of chocolate from forming underneath each berry as it dries.
• For the prettiest chocolate-covered strawberries, serve them the same day you dip them and leave them at room temperature until you're ready to eat.

Budget-Friendly Gift Idea: Pair Chocolate Covered Fruit with Seasonal Flowers

Are you making these chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate a special occasion? Anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays like Valentine's Day (or Galentine's Day) are a good reason. Or maybe you want to show your appreciation for someone who's helped you out recently. Or just treat yourself - because... self-care!

Here's a simple way to turn the strawberries into a themed gift without spending a lot of money: pair them with a bouquet of fresh, seasonal flowers. The pre-made flower arrangements in vases (usually found in the fridges) can be really pricey (especially close to holidays) so I prefer to make my own.

Arranging your own bouquet of flowers is REALLY EASY. I promise.

Here are some of my tips for keeping it simple & affordable:

• Buy your flowers & vase separately (you'll see why in a sec)
• Choose an inexpensive glass vase with a narrow top. I used a pink translucent teardrop vase from debi lilly design™. Picking a vessel with a narrower top means you need fewer flowers to make it look full & abundant. Now you only need one bouquet instead of two! See, I already saved you money.
• Pick a medium-sized bouquet with flowers that are not all fully opened. That way your recipient can continue to enjoy the flowers for a week or more. (Example: In the picture above, my fragrant rose bouquet from debi lilly design™ has a mixture of red roses & lilies. Only one of the lilies has opened fully, while the other five have not. So within a few days, they will slowly start to open up (lilies smell ahhhh-mazing, by the way) and this extends the shelf life of the bouquet.
• Use a pair of scissors to trim the stems of your flowers so when you stick them in the vase, the blossoms barely hang over the top. This helps to fill out the vase with fewer flowers (another money saver).

Want to replicate what I made here with the colorful flowers + chocolate dipped fruit combo?

Tom Thumb's exclusive debi lilly design™ brand has high-quality, high-style pieces all at a value in the floral department. They also have an exclusive portfolio of brands, so you can grab all the ingredients you need at a value.

Eye-catching flowers + tasty food & drink all in one shopping trip. Super convenient, right? Especially when you're getting stuff last minute to celebrate Valentine's Day. Ahem.

I shopped at Tom Thumb, but you can also find debi lilly design™, O Organics® & Open Nature® products at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, and Vons.

Love Strawberries? Try These Recipes Next:

• Strawberry Banana Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake & Lemon Curd Parfaits
• Strawberry Chicken Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Red, White & Blue White Wine Spritzer
• Lemony Strawberry Shortcake Milkshakes

chocolate covered strawberries, easy, how to make, dipped, best

dessert

American

Yield: 20 strawberries (approximately)

Author: Elaina Newton - The Rising Spoon

Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 3 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 53 Min

Need a quick & easy dessert? Make a batch of decadent chocolate covered strawberries with inexpensive ingredients from your pantry. Dipped fruit looks super fancy, but is so simple to fix at home. Pair it with fresh flowers for a thoughtful gift that's perfect for any occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of fresh strawberries with leaves attached (washed, dried & at room temperature)
• 4 ounces of dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate works, too)
• 4 ounces of white chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or unsalted butter, divided (I used refined coconut oil from O Organics)

Toppings (Optional)

• finely chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (I used a small bag from Open Nature)
• coarse decorating sugar (I used a pink one colored with beet juice)

Instructions

1. It's important that your strawberries are completely dry before beginning the dipping process, otherwise, the chocolate won't stick properly. See the notes section below for tips on prepping them.
2. Portion the dark chocolate chips & white chocolate chips into separate microwavable bowls (glass or ceramic). Add a teaspoon of coconut oil (or butter) to each bowl.
3. Heat the dark chocolate in 20-second increments, stirring each time you stop the microwave until the chocolate is melted. This should only take 1-2 minutes. Repeat the process with the white chocolate.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and pour the chopped nuts and coarse sugar onto separate small plates.
5. Grasp a strawberry by the leaves and dip it in the melted dark chocolate, tilting and/or twisting it slightly so it's coated on all sides. Lift the strawberry out of the chocolate and let any excess drip off. Optional: Immediately roll the strawberry in nuts or coarse sugar while the chocolate is still wet.
6. Gently lay each strawberry on the parchment paper an inch apart and continue dipping half the berries in dark chocolate. Switch to white chocolate and repeat the process until all the berries are used up.
7. Let the dipped strawberries sit at room temperature until the chocolate coating has hardened.

Notes:

PREPPING THE BERRIES: Your strawberries need to be very dry before dipping, so I recommend gently rinsing them with water beforehand, patting them with paper towels, and letting them air dry on the counter. If they're already washed & refrigerated, pat dry to remove any condensation, and let them come to room temperature before proceeding.

SHELF LIFE: Texture & appearance-wise, these are best consumed the same day they're made. Once the chocolate coating has dried, leave them at room temperature and eat before you retire for the night. Otherwise, place them in an airtight container and stick them in the fridge. Consume within 1-2 days and blot off any excess moisturize before eating (they will sweat in the fridge).

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