It is that time of year again. We are less than one month away from Valentine’s Day. A day to show the one you love how much you love them in chocolate, candy and flowers. Why spend a ton of money when you can make elegant treats for the one or ones you love right at home.
A sweet treat everyone loves on the day of love is the chocolate covered strawberry. A treat that looks so elegant, tastes so yummy and can be presented any way you like. They are good as gifts and good just to indulge in at home.
Today we are going to learn how to make these easy yet delicious treats, so you can spoil and impress your loved ones.
There are many variations of this treat. They can be dipped in any chocolate you like and decorated however you prefer. Today we are going with the classic: strawberries dipped in milk chocolate.
Ingredients:
· Chocolate chips for dipping
· Vegetable shortening
· Strawberries (washed and dried)
Decoration Options:
· Sprinkles
· Chopped nuts
· Colored melts/chocolate
· Chocolate
Other Supplies:
· Parchment paper/wax paper
· Dipping fork (optional)
· Cupcake cups (optional)
· Microwave safe bowl
Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave. Depending on how many strawberries you want to make is how much chocolate you want to melt. 8 ounces of chocolate chips will be enough to dip one carton of strawberries. For every 8 ounces of chocolate chips you use, you need to use 1 tablespoon of shortening. Melt the chocolate and shortening for one minute and then mix. If your chocolate needs more melting time, melt in 20 second bursts and mix after each melting time. Be cautious not to over melt because you can burn the chocolate and it will get clumpy. Also, the chips may not look melted when you first take the out of the microwave, but as you mix and melt they will become more viscous. As you mix, it is ok to have a few small clumps of unmelted chocolate in your melted chocolate. You can leave it as is or strain your chocolate.
2. Once the chocolate is melted, you can hold the strawberry by the hull or use a dipping fork and dip the strawberry ¾ of the way. Hold the strawberry over your bowl of chocolate for a couple seconds to let the excess drip off and place on parchment/wax paper.
3. Let the chocolate set for bit (becomes gooey). After it sets, you can decorate the strawberry however you like. You can dip in sprinkles or drizzle with melts. The options are endless.
4. After your strawberries are decorated let them cool the rest of the way. You can leave them out on the counter or for faster cooling you can put in the fridge.
*The strawberries can be presented in round cupcake cups if you like.
*If your chocolate gets hard or too gooey to work with as you are dipping, you can put the chocolate back in the microwave for 20 second bursts and mix.
Leave a Reply