Chocolate Coated Strawberries

Melt the heart of someone you love with these Chocolate Coated Strawberries. Say “I love you” in this very delicious way. They are quickly and easily made and can be made in advance. There is really something special about a dessert you have made yourself.

Course Dessert, Nibbles

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Setting Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings people

Calories 178kcal

Author Alexandra

Ingredients

500 g strawberries with stem intact *
250 g chocolate * dark, white or milk

Optional Topping Suggestions:

finely chopped nuts
coloured sprinkles
sprinkling of sea salt flakes
toasted coconut
crushed candy canes

Instructions

Select a saucepan which will be the right size to accommodate the bowl in which you will melt the chocolate. Put about 3cm/1” water in the saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Break the chocolate into even size pieces and place into a heat-proof bowl.
Place the bowl over the saucepan of barely simmering water, ensuring that the bowl does not touch the water and steam does not get into the chocolate. If it does, the chocolate will become thick and grainy. I cannot stress enough the importance of not letting water get into the chocolate.
Stir the chocolate occasionally with a metal spoon*.
Remove the bowl from the heat when most of the chocolate has melted. The residual heat will melt the remainder. Stir until smooth.
Hold a strawberry by the stem, or, if the strawberry does not have sufficient stem, insert a toothpick into the top. Dip the berry into the melted chocolate. Hold it for a moment over the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
Place the strawberry onto the lined baking tray. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle on toppings if using*. Repeat with the remainder. Set aside for the chocolate to set. However, on a warm day, it may be necessary to refrigerate the berries for about 10 minutes or until set.
You can serve the chocolate covered strawberries chilled or at room temperature. Chilled strawberries will have a nice crunch to the chocolate. Room temperature will, of course, give the chocolate a softer bite.
The Chocolate Covered Strawberries look and taste their best on the day they are made. You can, however, store leftovers (if you have any) overnight in an airtight container in the fridge. I suggest that you line the bottom of the container with a few sheets of paper towel to help absorb moisture.
For gift giving, place them in a pretty, tissue-lined box.

Notes

*My strawberries were not large; I had 36 but this number will vary depending on the size of the berries you are using. Accordingly, the number of people it serves will also vary.
*If you have some strawberries with insufficient stem to grasp, insert a toothpick into the top of the berry and then dip it into the chocolate.
*You may prefer to use just one colour chocolate and this amount will be sufficient. If you want to use different colours I suggest you use about 100 gm each. If you are using different chocolate, you will, of course, need to melt them separately.
*A metal spoon is preferable as a wooden spoon may contain moisture which would ruin the chocolate. It would become thick and grainy and not suitable for dipping the strawberries.
*For two reasons I suggest sprinkling the toppings onto the freshly dipped strawberry. Firstly, I have found that if I dip the strawberry into the toppings it leaves behind a few drops of chocolate. After dipping a few strawberries the topping becomes very messy. Secondly, there is less waste. If you sprinkle, you’re able to keep what hasn’t been used.
*There is usually some chocolate left over. To avoid waste you could make little medallions on baking paper and top with dried fruit or nuts. Alternatively, toast some slivered almonds and toss them through the chocolate. Place in little mounds and enjoy when the chocolate has set.

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