Chocolate covered strawberries are the quintessential treat that always impresses. Dip them in melted white, milk or dark chocolate (or all three!) and decorate them with peanuts, sprinkles and drizzles of more chocolate. You can serve them all year long, from Valentine’s Day to Christmas.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Whenever there’s a potluck type dinner going on, I am always scrambling to come up with something to make. Usually that’s because I leave things like that to the last minute!
Maybe you’re just like me and you forgot your friend’s Galentine’s Day brunch is on Saturday. Or maybe you just can’t think of what to make for your Valentine’s Day date night. Or maybe you simply just don’t have time!
One of the easiest desserts you can make is a batch of chocolate covered strawberries. A batch of fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate is quick, easy and always a hit.
If you have the time, you can decorate them with fun toppings like sprinkles!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Juicy, fresh berries coated with your choice of white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate — each bite is both sweet and succulent. You’re going to love this recipe!
- They’re everyone’s favorite, and for good reason. Who doesn’t love strawberries dipped in chocolate?!
- If you take the time — even just a few minutes — to decorate them beyond a plain dip (which is still lovely, don’t get me wrong), you can seriously impress your friends.
- All you need is some chocolate chips, fresh strawberries and 30 minutes to make them. (Plus another 30 minutes for them to set, but you can go off and do other things while you wait!)
What kind of chocolate to use
I like options. I prefer to melt white chocolate as well as milk chocolate. But you can also melt dark or semisweet chocolate if you prefer.
To find the right chocolate, you need to shop in the baking aisle, not the candy aisle. I recommend using chocolate chips and not a thin bar, though the thick candy bark bars work great as well (especially for white chocolate).
For a drizzle, you can even use melted peanut butter chips or use food coloring with white chocolate.
How to make chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate coated strawberries are incredibly easy to make.
The first thing you should do is wash and dry your strawberries. It’s important they are completely dry, because any excess water can cause your melted chocolate to seize.
Once dry, melt your chocolate. I like to use the microwave —20-second intervals at 50% power, stirring after each go, 4-5 times. It will take a few minutes in total. However, if you prefer a double boiler on the stove, you do you!
The goal here is to melt the chocolate slowly. You don’t want it to seize, which it will do if it gets too hot too quickly. Once chocolate seizes, you can’t re-melt it. (Learn more about how to temper chocolate.)
While your chocolate is melting, you can prepare your decorations. I fill condiment bowls with sprinkles and chopped nuts. Even mini chocolate chips or chopped up candies will work!
Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the oil. This gives your chocolate coating a shiny look, but also softens the chocolate so it isn’t too crunchy or crumbly when you bite into it.
Then, I dip, you dip, we dip!
Hold each strawberry at its fattest part, near the green leaves (called the calyx). Dip it into the chocolate and remove it, being careful to gently scrape off extra chocolate or let it drip off before placing the strawberry on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
Decorate them with toppings or a drizzle of another type of chocolate. If your chocolate is too thick for drizzling, check out this tutorial for how to make melted chocolate thinner.
Once you’ve completed your strawberries, they’ll need to set. If you need them soon, you can flash set them in the fridge. It should take 20-30 minutes. If you leave the strawberries in the fridge, you run the risk of them sweating, which may alter the color of the chocolate and the texture of the strawberries inside.
If you don’t need them right away, leave them out. They will set within an hour or two, and they stay fresh for about 10 hours without the risk of sweating.
Decorations for chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries can be made fancier with an assortment of toppings. Here are a few ideas:
- Colorful sprinkles
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Mini chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.)
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Cacao nibs
- Oreo cookie crumbs
- Crushed peppermint candies
- Crushed toffee candies
- Toasted coconut
- Melted chocolate drizzle
- White chocolate drizzle
- Peanut butter chip drizzle
- Butterscotch chip drizzle
- Chocolate curls
I’d love to hear what decorations you come up with!
What to serve with chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries are delicious on their own, and you can enjoy them any time of year.
Add them to a charcuterie board with meats and cheeses or a dessert board with mini brownie bites. Serve some strawberry rosé sangria to go with them.
You can also use them as decoration! They are the perfect garnish for drinks, like these aptly named chocolate covered strawberry smoothies and this chocolate covered strawberry cocktail.
These pretties would also be lovely decorations for desserts like chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes and strawberry éclairs or even for a romantic Valentine’s Day breakfast of dark chocolate berry yogurt parfaits.
You can also serve chocolate dipped strawberries in an assortment for an edible gift. Add them to a dessert box with hot cocoa bombs plus some treats like double chocolate chip cookies and dark chocolate red wine brownies for a flavor explosion any chocolate lover will adore.
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Chocolate Covered Strawberries
ingredients
- 1 pint medium strawberries around 20 strawberries
- ½ cup chocolate baking chips white vanilla, semisweet, milk or dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup sprinkles finely chopped peanuts or chocolate chips (optional for decoration)
instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
- Place strawberries in a colander and rinse with water. Place berries on a paper towel, and then individually dry each one with another paper towel. They must be completely dry before dipping in chocolate.
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and melt it in the microwave in 20-second intervals at 50% power, stirring between each heating (around 4-5 times) until melted. Repeat with as many types of chocolate you plan to use. (Alternatively, you can use a double boiler on the stove.)
- Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the oil.
- While chocolate is melting, place toppings in bowls and set aside.
- Pick up each strawberry and dip it into the melted chocolate, slowly removing it and allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. Gently scrape it against the edge of the bowl if needed.
- Dip the covered strawberries into your desired toppings, if using, and place the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, you can sprinkle them over your dipped strawberries while the chocolate is still melted. To create a chocolate drizzle, use a spoon to zig-zag melted chocolate over the strawberries.
- Once your strawberries are decorated, they need to set. If left out at room temperature, they will set in 1-2 hours. If placed in the fridge, the strawberries will set within 20-30 minutes.
- Consume within 1 day.
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Dana McCurdy says
Yummy! Fruit dipped in chocolate is just the best.
Thanks for sharing!