Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

Chocolate covered strawberries are the quintessential treat that always impresses. Dip them in melted white, milk or dark chocolate (or all three!) and decorate them with peanuts, sprinkles and drizzles of more chocolate. You can serve them all year long, from Valentine’s Day to Christmas.

Whenever there’s a potluck type dinner going on, I am always scrambling to come up with something to make.

Usually that’s because I leave things like that to the last minute.

Maybe you’re just like me and you forgot your friend’s Galentine’s Day brunch is on Saturday.

Or maybe you just can’t think of what to make for your Valentine’s Day date night.

Or maybe you simply just don’t have time!

Either way, you don’t need to worry.

One of the easiest desserts you can make is a batch of chocolate covered strawberries.

Juicy, fresh berries coated with your choice of white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate — each bite is both sweet and succulent.

They’re everyone’s favorite, and for good reason.

Who doesn’t love strawberries dipped in chocolate?!

If you take the time — even just a few minutes — to decorate them beyond a plain dip (which is still lovely, don’t get me wrong), you can seriously impress your friends.

All you need is some chocolate chips, fresh strawberries and 30 minutes to make them. (Plus another 30 minutes to get them to set, but you can go off and do other things while you wait!)

Yep, there’s even time to get fancy! You can add toppings or a chocolate drizzle to impress everyone.

If you have a lot of time, you can try these double-dipped strawberry cordials.

What kind of chocolate to use for chocolate covered strawberries

I like options. I prefer to melt white chocolate as well as milk chocolate. But you can also melt dark or semisweet chocolate if you prefer.

To find the right chocolate, you need to shop in the baking aisle, not the candy aisle. I recommend using chocolate chips and not a thin bar, though the thick candy bark bars work great as well (especially for white chocolate).

For a drizzle, you can even use melted peanut butter chips or use food coloring with white chocolate.

How to make chocolate covered strawberries

Chocolate coated strawberries are incredibly easy to make.

The first thing you should do is wash and dry your strawberries.

It’s important they are completely dry, because any excess water can cause your melted chocolate to seize.

Once dry, melt your chocolate. I like to use the microwave — 20-second intervals at 50% power, stirring after each go, 4-5 times.

It will take a few minutes in total. However, if you prefer a double boiler on the stove, you do you!

The goal here is to melt the chocolate slowly. You don’t want it to seize, which it will do if it gets too hot too quickly.

Once chocolate seizes, you can’t re-melt it. (Learn more about how to temper chocolate.)

While your chocolate is melting, you can prepare your decorations. I fill condiment bowls with sprinkles and chopped nuts. Even mini chocolate chips or chopped up candies will work!

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the oil. This gives your chocolate coating a shiny look, but also softens the chocolate so it isn’t too crunchy or crumbly when you bite into it.

Then, I dip, you dip, we dip!

Hold each strawberry at its fattest part, near the green leaves (called the calyx). Dip it into your chocolate and remove it, being careful to gently scrape off extra chocolate or let it drip off before placing the strawberry on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.

Decorate them with toppings or a drizzle of another type of chocolate.

Once you’ve completed your strawberries, they’ll need to set. If you need them soon, you can flash set them in the fridge. It should take 20-30 minutes. If you leave the strawberries in the fridge, you run the risk of them sweating, which may alter the color of the chocolate and the texture of the strawberries inside.

If you don’t need them right away, leave them out. They will set within an hour or two, and they stay fresh for about 10 hours without the risk of sweating.

Decorations for chocolate covered strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries can be made fancier with an assortment of toppings. Here are a few ideas:

• Colorful sprinkles
• Chocolate sprinkles
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.)
• Graham cracker crumbs
• Oreo cookie crumbs
• Crushed peppermint candies
• Crushed toffee candies
• Toasted coconut
• Drizzles of melted chocolate

How to serve chocolate covered strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are delicious on their own, but you can also use them as decoration!

They are the perfect garnish for drinks, like this aptly named chocolate covered strawberry milkshakes or chocolate covered strawberry smoothies.

These pretties would also be lovely decorations for desserts like this chocolate strawberry tart or even for a romantic Valentine’s Day breakfast of dark chocolate berry yogurt parfaits.

You can also serve chocolate dipped strawberries in an assortment for an edible gift. They would go splendidly with a batch of truffles, mango candy and some chocolate covered cheesecake bites. Hello, Valentine!

Hope you enjoy these pretty treats!

Planning a dinner party and need some inspiration?

How about looking for a new slow cooker dinner idea?

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