Learn how I make beautiful homemade chocolate covered strawberries from scratch with just 3 ingredients. I’ll share simple, beginner-friendly tips for melting smooth chocolate that doesn’t seize and how to create fancy chocolate dipped strawberries for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. This bite-sized dessert is great for gifting, date nights, or an easy treat to make with kids.
I love anything with chocolate, especially rich, chocolate covered treats. Just about every holiday we make chocolate covered Ritz crackers and buckeye peanut butter balls. And now that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I’m thinking about chocolate peanut butter hearts, chocolate dipped cherries and these delicious chocolate covered strawberries.
Homemade chocolate covered strawberries are so simple to make, and they’re a lot of fun to decorate. This was always a fun treat to make with the kids when they were younger; they would eat them freshly dipped, before the chocolate had even hardened! Chocolate dipped strawberries also make a romantic gift for somebody special.
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – Recently I’ve started almost exclusively using chocolate melting wafers. For this recipe, I like to dip my strawberries in dark chocolate melting wafers or milk chocolate melting wafers, and then I’ll drizzle on melted white chocolate. Melting wafers are specially made for dipping. For this reason, you’re less likely to have problems with the chocolate seizing or cracking. If you don’t have any melting wafers on hand, you can also use almond bark, chocolate chips or chocolate bars, but you might consider tempering the chocolate so that it doesn’t crack once cooled.
- Strawberries – I recommend picking out fresh strawberries at your local grocery store, or better yet, at a local farm or farm stand. Just make sure they don’t have any rotten spots or mold growth.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Before getting started, line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Then wash and dry the strawberries, making sure that they are totally dry, which will prevent the chocolate from seizing.
Next, go ahead and melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. After that, continue to melt it, stirring every 15-20 seconds ’til totally melted and smooth.
Dipping Your Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Grasp each strawberry by the stem, and dip down into the melted chocolate, twisting the berry as you lift it out of the chocolate.
- Shake off any excess chocolate, and then place each chocolate dipped strawberry on the wax paper on the baking sheet.
- To contrast, I like to drizzle white chocolate over the dark chocolate covered berries, or drizzle dark chocolate over white chocolate covered berries. You can use a spoon to sort of drizzle it on, or you can pipe it through a piping bag.
- Allow the berries to set by chilling at least 20 minutes in the fridge. This will allow the chocolate to harden.
How to Decorate Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Here are a few ideas if you’d like to decorate your DIY chocolate covered strawberries just a little. bit more. Most of this needs to be done before the chocolate has hardened, so make sure to do it as soon as you’re done dipping the fruit.
- You can sprinkle a little bit of flaky sea salt on each chocolate dipped strawberry. In addition, you might add nonpareils or coconut flakes. Be creative!
- Some people like finely chopped nuts on their chocolate covered strawberries. Think almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews.
- If you’re making this with the kids, dipping the berries in colored sanding sugar will be a hit. They’re so pretty!
- You can also add crushed Oreo cookies, graham crackers, crushed Pecan Sandies, etc.
- If you’re making these for Valentine’s Day, dip your strawberries in pink chocolate melting wafers instead!
- Last but not least, a drizzle of caramel sauce can be a nice touch. Or you can add peanut butter sauce if you’re serving these to any peanut butter lovers.
How to Serve Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Once the chocolate has fully hardened, I recommend serving these juicy treats immediately. They will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, but they’re best eaten the same day that they’re dipped.
You can pack them into decorative boxes for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day gifts. Bring an assortment for date night, or enjoy a quick and easy, kid-friendly treat no matter the occasion.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
This is a problem that’s usually caused by excess moisture. When dipping, the melted chocolate will become thick and lumpy. It’s extremely important that you get your strawberries totally dry before dipping. Otherwise, any extra moisture on the berry will cause the chocolate to seize.
This is not usually necessary if you’re using melting wafers. That said, I might recommend it if you’re using chocolate chips, chocolate bars or almond bark. If you’d like to learn more, here’s a great read on how to temper strawberries.
They’re really best kept at room temperature and served the same day, but you can store chocolate dipped strawberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To keep your berries from sweating, I recommend lining the bottom of the container with paper towels so as to absorb any extra moisture. Then try not to pull them out of the fridge until you’re ready to eat them.
Yes, some people like to freeze chocolate covered strawberries, but they must be eaten either frozen or partially thawed. Once they thaw completely out, the berries will turn to mush.
More Valentine’s Day Dessert Ideas
- Heart-Shaped Rice Krispies Treats
- Heart-Shaped Pancakes With Chocolate Chips
- Heart-Shaped Chocolate Whoopie Pies for Valentine’s Day
- Olive Garden White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
- Valentine Marshmallow Pops, Cake Pops, and Cookie Pops
- Original Fantasy Fudge Recipe
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How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers or milk chocolate
- 10 ounces white chocolate melting wafers
- 2 pounds strawberries washed and dried*
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Add the dark chocolate to a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl; and melt, starting at 30 seconds, then stirring every 15-20 seconds, 'til melted and smooth.
- Repeat with the white chocolate.
- Grasp each strawberry by the stem, and dip in the melted chocolate, twisting the berry as you lift it out of the chocolate.
- Shake off any excess chocolate before placing each dipped berry on the wax paper lined baking sheet.
- To contrast, you can drizzle white chocolate over the dark chocolate covered berries, or drizzle dark chocolate over the white chocolate covered berries.
- Allow the berries to set, so the chocolate will harden, by chilling at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
- Serve immediately or place in gift boxes.
So easy and SO delicious! GHIRARDELLI is so way easier to work with and better tasting too.