How To Perfectly Dip Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are always fun, but on Valentine’s Day they are a special treat! This is the best way to dip strawberries without all the muss and fuss. Enjoy these easy to make, deliciously delectable delights!
By Nicole Marquez

What you will need:

chocolate (of your choosing)
medium sized strawberries
crisco/lard
parchment / wax paper
decorations (sugar sprinkles, heart shaped candies, fruit leather, nuts, etc.)

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Decide On A Chocolate

Some people enjoy milk chocolate more to dark chocolate. Some like to mix half and half. I recommend dark chocolate for the main dipping as it is a perfect compliment to the sweetness of the strawberry, but this is a personal preference. If you want to get creative, get some white chocolate to decorate with as well. (The nicer the chocolate, the better it will taste, but honestly any kind will do.)

Strawberry Sizes:

Try to find medium sized strawberries at the market. This gives the perfect two bites to each strawberry and doesn’t get messy for the eater. Make sure to wash and dry your strawberries a few hours in advance and let the strawberries come to room temperature before you try to dip them. This is to ensure that there is no moisture left on the strawberries, which could make it difficult for the chocolate to stick evenly and properly.

Melting the Chocolate:

Once the strawberries are ready to go, it’s time to melt the chocolate. Many people have fears about this. But don’t worry! I have tested different ways and have found the easiest way to melt chocolate.

Use a large skillet with about 2 inches of water in it and place it on a burner.  Place a tempered glass bowl with your chopped chocolate (I found that 8oz made about 15 strawberries) in the skillet and then bring the water to a simmer. It’s ok to let the bowl touch the bottom of the skillet. Turn off the burner as the water starts to simmer. Let the chocolate melt, occasionally stirring and you are done. You can leave the chocolate on the skillet for as long as needed while you are prepping and there is no need to worry about burning.

Prepping Your Station:

Once the chocolate has begun melting, pull out a baking sheet and line it with parchment or wax paper. Grab your strawberries and decorations and set them up in a convenient manner.

Check on the chocolate. I like to stir in a little bit of crisco or lard with the chocolate to get the consistency that I want. It helps to thin the chocolate so it’s not as thick on the strawberries and it will help prevent cracking later on. You can also put multiple bowls of chocolate in the skillet at a time if you are using different types and let one stay in the the skillet to say warm and then rotate. The only thing you need to be cautious about is when you take the bowl out of the water. Make sure to not get any water inside the bowl as it will cause the chocolate to cease.

Dipping!

Now the fun part! Wrap your bowl of chocolate in a towel, to keep the chocolate warm. Take a strawberry by the leaves and dunk the strawberry into the chocolate, rotating it if need be from side to side. If the bowl is too shallow, transfer the chocolate into a mug so all you need to do is dip the strawberry once to get it perfectly covered. Lay the strawberry down on the parchment or wax paper and repeat.

Decorating

While the strawberry is still wet, you can add any decorations. Drizzle a different type of chocolate with a fork over the strawberry to get an exciting design. Dye white chocolate any color to create fun color combinations. Add some crushed nuts, grated coconut, or sanding sugar for a delicious extra layer to your bite. The options are endless so get those creative juices flowing.

Once done, place the sheet in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. Take them out and then they are ready to eat!

~I do not recommend making these more than a few hours in advance. If you refrigerate them overnight, the chocolate will start to bloom and the strawberries will begin to weep.

Happy Valentine’s Day!