Who doesn't love chocolate covered strawberries? They are such a fun and easy treat, and they are the perfect Valentine's Day treat. Plus, it's fun and easy to make them look gourmet. They also go a long way when you buy a large package of fresh strawberries from Costco, for dipping. The amount shown in these pictures was not even a full package, and we had plenty to spare.
Here are my top tips to making your strawberries look and taste just right.
Tip #1
Wash and dry your strawberries the night before.
If there's any water on the strawberries when you start to dip, the chocolate or candy coating, is not going to adhere properly, or at all. I wash all my strawberries, and then lay out a few sheets of paper towels and spread the strawberries out to dry, let them dry for a day before dipping. If you're short on time, you could hand wash each strawberry, without dousing them in water, and then hand-dry with a paper towel. You just don't want them to be wet when dipping.
Tip #2
Temper your chocolate or candy coating.
They're are a lot of things that involve tempering chocolate, but for the simplicity of just dipping strawberries, I just mean, heat the chocolate slowly. This allows the chocolate from over-cooking and most importantly, to maintain its sheen. If you're finding that your chocolate has a dull, matte appearance, check your tempering.
When I dip chocolates, I don't test the temperature, and I don't even use a double boiler, I just use the microwave, and VERY slowly heat and stir. Once the chocolate becomes more fluid, I add more chips, and stir those in for a time, before adding more heat.
Tip #3
Chill your cookie sheet 30-60 minutes before dipping, and place dipped-strawberries on parchment paper, on the cooled cookie sheet.
I have found that dipped-strawberries harden best at room temperature. It prevents condensation from occurring from the juices in the strawberries. But this tip allows for the chocolate to harden and keeps the strawberries lightly chilled.
Finally, I just have a few ideas to share about decorating. I have used milk chocolate and Wilton candy coating, and both work similarly. It really depends on your color/taste preference. For these, I was just really set on pink. I also used white chips to drizzle on top. I drizzled the white by using a plastic bag and cutting the tip, ever so slightly. I used this gold leaf once the coating dried, and then I lightly painted on some water, and then I adhered the gold leaf. I also used a mixture of sprinkles and edible sparkles. You could also use finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or more sprinkles (next time I make them, I'm going to take non-sweetened, shredded coconut, chop it up, and then sprinkle on top!). The sky is the limit.
There you have it! I hope some of these tips help to make dipping strawberries a little more seamless.
Happy Valentine's Day
xoxo
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