Chocolate Covered Strawberries: A Simple and Delicious Homemade Treat

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are my favorite way to say I love you with dessert.

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This recipe needs only two things: fresh strawberries and chocolate. It is a make ahead dessert that works beautifully as an edible gift, and it has become a Valentine’s Day classic in my kitchen.

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Covered Strawberries

When it comes to sweet treats, I can never resist chocolate covered strawberries, and I think you will love how simple it is to make them at home.

Juicy, ripe strawberries wrapped in rich, creamy chocolate. That is the whole idea, and it never gets old. What surprises people most is how quick this is.

The recipe comes together in about 30 minutes with minimal effort, which means you can decide at four in the afternoon that you want a platter of them for dinner, and it actually happens.

Another reason I keep coming back to this recipe is the cost. Making them at home is far more cost effective than buying store bought gourmet versions at a chocolate shop. You also get to choose the chocolate, and the choice matters.

The brand and the type are up to you, from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, so you can tune the sweetness to your crowd.

They also look expensive. Stack them on a platter or tuck them into a small gift box, and nobody guesses they took less than an hour of hands on time. Because the chocolate sets firm, they are a genuine make ahead dessert.

I can dip them a day in advance for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or another special occasion, and the only thing left to do is pull them out of the fridge before serving.

A quick note on what you get: the source nutrition for this recipe lists about 70 calories per strawberry, with 8 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 13 milligrams of sodium.

That is for the finished treat as written, and it is a good reminder that one or two go a long way.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ingredients

Only two ingredients stand between you and a plate of these.

• 16 ounces fresh strawberries, about 24 strawberries
• 12 ounces chocolate chips, semi sweet, milk, or dark

When you buy the strawberries, look for large, fresh, perfectly ripe berries. A vibrant deep red color with less white near the top is a good sign that they will be sweet and full of flavor. Pale shoulders usually mean a bland bite under all that chocolate, and that is a waste of good chocolate.

For the chocolate itself, semi sweet or dark chocolate pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of the berries. Milk chocolate and white chocolate also work if that is what your family prefers. You can use chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bars, or chocolate melts, whichever you have on hand. The complete recipe with measurements is below.

Chocolate Brands I Recommend

Chocolate is the one place I do not cut corners, because it is half of the recipe. Here are the brands I reach for and why.

If you are new to this, start with a semi sweet chip you already trust. A chocolate that tastes good straight from the bag will taste good on a strawberry, and that simple rule saves a lot of guessing.

How To Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Four simple stages, and honestly the hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to set.

1. Prep the strawberries. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash the strawberries and pat them dry with paper towels. They need to be completely dry and at room temperature before dipping. If they are still chilled, condensation forms on the surface and the chocolate slides right off. Dry berries give you a coating that actually clings.
2. Melt the chocolate. Melt it in a double boiler on the stove, stirring until it is silky smooth. If you prefer the microwave, heat it in 20 second increments in a microwave safe bowl, stirring between each round, until it is smooth. Short bursts keep the chocolate from seizing, which is why I never rush this step.
3. Dip the strawberries. Pick each strawberry up by the leaves and slowly dip it into the chocolate until it almost reaches the top. Rotate it so all sides get coated. Then lift the strawberry and gently shake off any excess chocolate. Leaving a little red visible makes them look hand dipped and elegant, so do not bury the whole berry.
4. Let the chocolate harden. Lay the dipped strawberries carefully on the parchment lined baking sheet. Let them air dry completely for at least 20 to 30 minutes. If you want them chilled or firmer after that, you can place them in the fridge.

Then serve them as they are, or go a little fancy and add a drizzle of alternating milk, dark, or white chocolate. Prep time is 10 minutes and total time is about 30 minutes, and this recipe makes 24 servings.

My Best Tips For Perfect Chocolate Strawberries

A few small habits separate a glossy, professional looking tray from a puddle of chocolate and sad berries.

• Dry them completely. Any water left on the surface makes the chocolate slide off. Pat them, then pat them again.
• Bring them to room temperature. Cold strawberries from the fridge create condensation, which leads to streaky chocolate and an uneven coating.
• Scrape the bottom. After dipping, drag the underside of the strawberry along the edge of the bowl. That keeps chocolate from pooling around the base on the baking sheet.
• Add toppings right away. Anything you want to stick, from nuts to coconut, has to go on while the chocolate is still wet.
• Serve at room temperature. The texture and the flavor are simply better than straight from the fridge.

Dry berries, room temperature berries, and a quick scrape on the bowl’s edge. Those three habits fix almost every problem people run into with this recipe.

Storage & Make Ahead Tips

These are at their very best the day they are made, so if you can serve them fresh, do. That said, they can be prepped ahead without much fuss.

Once the chocolate has fully set, store them in a single layer, uncovered, in the refrigerator. Leaving them uncovered is deliberate, because a lid traps moisture and moisture is the enemy here. They keep for up to 24 hours this way. Much longer than that and the berries soften too much and start to weep.

Take them out of the fridge a little before serving and let them come back to room temperature. The chocolate softens slightly, the strawberry tastes sweeter, and nobody can tell you made them yesterday.

Easy Dipping Tip For Kids

If you have kids in the house, let them help. They get very interested very fast when chocolate is involved.

Here is the trick I use. Instead of handing them a deep bowl, pour melted chocolate into a small glass. The narrow glass lets them dip straight down and straight up, which is easy for small hands and keeps the mess to a minimum. No swirling, no wobbling, no chocolate up to their elbows.

My own kids line up at the counter for this job, and they end up proud of berries they decorated themselves. Hand them a plate of coconut or chopped nuts and let them finish the job. That is how a simple dessert turns into a memory around the table.

Get Creative With Toppings

A plain dipped strawberry is a classic for a reason, but a few toppings make them look genuinely gourmet.

For an elegant look, add a simple drizzle of contrasting chocolate, dark over milk, or white over dark. The thin lines do all the work and take about a minute.

For something with texture, roll the strawberry in toppings while the chocolate is still wet. Good options include:

• chopped nuts, such as pistachios, almonds, or pecans
• shredded or toasted coconut flakes
• cacao nibs for a deep, slightly bitter crunch

This is the part where you can customize for the occasion. Pistachios and white chocolate feel fancy and bridal. Coconut and milk chocolate feel like a summer treat. Cacao nibs and dark chocolate are for the crowd that says they do not like sweets and then eats four.

Behind The Scenes

There is a reason I always dip a few extra. Somewhere between the baking sheet and the gift box, one or two of them disappear.

A juicy strawberry under a crackly shell of chocolate is hard to walk past, especially when the kitchen still smells like melted chocolate.

So make a few more than you need, taste one while it is barely set, and then box up the rest for someone you love.

FAQs

Perfect Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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• Total Time: 30 min
• Yield: 24 servings 1x

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Description

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Chocolate covered strawberries are my favorite way to say I love you with dessert. This recipe needs only two things: fresh strawberries and chocolate.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients
16 ounces fresh strawberries, about 24 strawberries
12 ounces chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate all work

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Instructions

Instructions
1-Prep the strawberries: Prep the strawberries. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash the strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. Make sure they’re completely dry and room temperature before dipping. If they’re still chilled, any condensation can prevent the chocolate from sticking.
2-Melt the chocolate: Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove, stirring until silky smooth. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between, until it’s smooth.
3-Dip the strawberries: Dip the strawberries. With each strawberry, pick it up by the leaves and slowly dip it into the chocolate until it almost reaches the top. Rotate the strawberry to make sure all sides are coated. Then, lift the strawberry and gently shake off any excess chocolate.
4-Let the chocolate harden: Let the chocolate harden. Carefully lay the dipped strawberries on the baking sheet. Allow the strawberries to air dry completely for at least 20 to 30 minutes. If you’d like them chilled or firmer after this, you can place them in the fridge.
5-Serve: Serve. Serve the chocolate strawberries as-is, or get a little fancy and add a drizzle of alternating milk, dark, or white chocolate.

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Method: mixed

Nutrition

• Calories: 70kcal
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 13mg
• Fat: 4g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 8g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 1g
• Cholesterol: 1mg

Keywords: Chocolate Covered Strawberries