Three years ago, I made No-Fail Chocolate Covered Strawberries using candy melts. While I was thrilled about the fact that I could make them so easily, I eventually discovered something kind of gross. Candy Melts aren’t actually made out of chocolate. They just taste like chocolate.
Actually, they taste like fake chocolate. So, fast forward to 2014 and I’ve let some of my chocolate fears go and managed to make some pretty snazzy looking berries.
I know, I’m so full of myself sometimes.
Wash your strawberries well. If you’re doing this with kids, make sure you tell them to leave the leaves on. After watching you rip the leaves off for years, they probably think you don’t want them.
Pat them down and let them come down to room temperature, otherwise if they were chilled they’ll just sweat anyway.
I went to Safeway in search of real chocolate bars (not chips) and while I was there I spotted chocolate covered strawberries. They were a whopping $10.99 for FOUR berries. Making your own is definitely cheaper.
Anyway, I found some great Ghiradelli baking bars on sale for $3.50 each. I bought one white bar and two semi-sweet.
Years ago, after breaking down and sobbing on several occasions trying (and burning) chocolate chips in my microwave, I bought a double boiler because I thought I needed it. You don’t need one though.
Just use a skillet, fill it with water, heat to simmering, then stick two ceramic bowls inside. Preferably bowls with “feet” or that round foot thingie so the bottom of the bowl isn’t directly touching the pan.
Like magic, they simply melted. I had the stove on maybe 2?
Before you send your strawberries skinny dipping, make sure they aren’t wet. Water in chocolate will make it clump up and you’ll be forced to eat deconstructed chocolate strawberries by alternating strawberries and spoonfuls of clumpy chocolate, which is decidedly less romantic.
Dip them in the chocolate, not putting the whole berry in. Lay them out on parchment paper to set. If you live in a hot paradise like me, stick them in the fridge.
You can also go fancy pants and flick the opposite color on the chocolate.
Just take a spoon and whip melted chocolate back and forth. Try not to agonize over the blobs you make, like I did. Clearly I need to practice my Chocolate Flicking more, because I even ended up with chocolate on my toes.
In the end, they came out awesomely purdy, but I wanted to give some to my in-laws, so I had to figure out how to wrap them up. I ended up grabbing my sandwich Ziplocs.
I cut the zipper off, then cut one end off to make it more square and so that the bag would have two open ends. I slipped the strawberry into the little closed corner, scrunched up the top, and tied some red curling ribbon on.
They’re fogged up from being chilled, but you can see the sandwich bags made a perfect wrapping for these little treats!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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