Chocolate Covered Strawberries are a classic! Ruby-red strawberries dipped in swoon-worthy melted chocolate, then garnished with a white chocolate drizzle and chopped hazelnuts.
A Luscious Dessert That’s Oh-So-Beautiful
If you’re looking for a fancy, even heart-stopping treat that’s actually a snap to make, this is the recipe for you! It really doesn’t get better than fresh, ripe strawberries dipped whole in real melted chocolate. Each bite is like a little taste of heaven! Gift a pretty tray of these to the one you love… or treat yourself! ❤️
These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, of course, or maybe for an anniversary or birthday party. However, kids also love them, so you can definitely make them for an ultra-fancy afternoon snack. Tea party, anyone? Honestly, there’s probably no wrong time for sweet, homemade chocolate covered strawberries.
What You’ll Need
Let’s take a look at the list of ingredients you will need to make your own chocolate covered strawberries. It’s short and sweet – bite-sized, in fact! And if strawberries are in season, this will be a very cost-effective treat, as well.
- Fresh Strawberries: Leave the stems and leaves on, for easy handling and dipping.
- Chocolate: A mix of semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate is just right.
- Salt: Just a pinch.
- Optional Toppings: White chocolate, roasted hazelnuts.
How to Make Your Own Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Now that you’ve taken a look at the ingredients, it’s time to get into the method for dipping strawberries in chocolate successfully. You’ll want to make sure to carefully wash them, and very carefully pat them dry, before you dip. Here’s the skinny:
- Wash and Dry. First of all, you need clean strawberries to work with! Wash the strawberries gently in room-temperature water, and then dry each one separately with a paper towel, setting them down on a clean, dry plate or tray as you go. If the strawberries are damp when you dip them, the chocolate won’t stick properly.
- Melt the Chocolate. If you are using bars of chocolate, chop them up into small pieces before melting. Chocolate chips are good to go! Combine the milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, and a pinch of salt in a heat-resistant bowl. Stir to melt over a saucepan of simmering water, or microwave for 10-second bursts, stirring after each burst. (The chocolate will not look melted after microwaving, but it will melt a little each time you stir it.) Melt the white chocolate as well, in a separate dish.
- Dip the Strawberries. Pick up one strawberry at a time by the leaves and/or stem. If the stem is too short, you can insert a toothpick into the stem end of the strawberry, and hold on to the toothpick. Dip the strawberry into the melted chocolate, and rotate it around so that it is well-coated. Lift the strawberry out of the chocolate, let the excess drip off (shake it a little if needed), and lay on a wire rack to set. Repeat with the remaining berries.
- Add Toppings, as Desired. Once the chocolate is set, you add toppings. To do this, just drizzle white chocolate over the strawberries with a fork, and then carefully roll them one by one in a bowl of toasted, chopped hazelnuts.
- Rest. Allow the strawberries to set firmly, by leaving them on the rack for about 2 hours at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Tips and Hacks
Want to know more about making chocolate covered strawberries? You got it! These are my ultimate tips for the best, most appetizing treats ever. Read on, and happy cooking!
- More Than Just Drizzle: You don’t have to just drizzle on the white chocolate – if you’d like to make a pretty shape (a heart, a letter of the alphabet, etc) then spoon your melted white chocolate into a plastic baggie (be very careful if it’s still hot!). Snip a tiny, tiny corner off – like the size of a sesame seed or smaller. “Pipe” the chocolate through the snipped corner to make special designs!
- Double Dip: In this case, that’s actually a good thing! To make your strawberries extra-chocolatey, just let the first layer of chocolate set before dipping in a second layer. Yum. You may need additional chocolate chips or bars if you do this.
- Creative Toppings: From coconut shreds to sprinkles, you can decorate these any way you like! Pistachios and pecans are wonderful in place of the hazelnuts, or you could go with chopped candy bars like Heath, 3 Musketeers, or Twix. (Hint: freeze candy bars before chopping to make it easier.)
Storage Instructions
In general, you should make chocolate covered strawberries the same day that you want to serve them, so that you can store them at room temperature. I like to lightly cover mine with a lid of some kind that doesn’t touch the actual toppings – a large baking dish or bowl works great, or a cake stand with a dome lid.
Why Can’t I Refrigerate Chocolate Covered Strawberries?
Welllll, you can if you need to. Chocolate covered strawberries will last for one extra day if refrigerated, but it’s not recommended because usually the strawberries will “sweat.” That means that drops of moisture form on the outside of the chocolate as they chill and then come back to room temperature. It’s not the worst thing that can happen, but it does spoil the appearance a bit, and it can soften the toppings. If you have to refrigerate, place the strawberries on a layer of paper towels to help absorb the extra moisture. And always store in a single layer, if possible.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Covered Strawberries?
Sort of! You can definitely stick them in the freezer, well-covered, for up to three months. However, when it’s time to serve them do not thaw them out all the way. If you do, the berries will turn to mush! Instead, serve them frozen, like a gourmet chocolate-covered popsicle. Delicious.
Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, stems on (for easier handling and dipping)
- 4 ounces dark semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces milk chocolate chips
- pinch salt
For Topping:
- white chocolate chips
- roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries gently in room-temperature water, and dry each one with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Chop up the dark chocolate and milk chocolate into small pieces; combine with a pinch of salt in a heat-resistant bowl.
- Place the bowl with the chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir until melted. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, stirring after each time. The chocolate will melt inside before it melts outside, so be sure to stir well after each burst in the microwave.
- In a separate dish, melt the white chocolate using the same method.
- Take one strawberry at a time by the leaves or stem (if the stem is too short, you can insert a toothpick gently into the strawberry and hold the toothpick). Dip into the melted dark chocolate. Rotate gently to coat.
- Hold the strawberry over the dish of melted chocolate for a moment, and let the excess drip off. Gently shake as needed to remove excess.
- Lay the dipped strawberries on a wire rack and allow the chocolate to set before sprinkling on any toppings.
- When the chocolate has set, drizzle white chocolate over the strawberries with a fork. If using hazelnuts, gently dip the strawberry in a bowl of roasted, chopped hazelnuts.
- Allow the strawberries to set for about 2 hours at room temperature before serving.
2 Comments
Chris David
Jul 15, 2022 at 1:52 amGreat recipe and really a nice one. Will surely try this
Katerina Petrovska
Jul 25, 2022 at 11:28 amThank you so much! I hope you’ll love it! 🙂