Chocolate Covered Strawberries

How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This chocolate covered strawberries recipe is so easy, and the best part: you don’t have to temper the chocolate. Tempering chocolate is a technique used to ensure a glossy exterior and a crisp snap: it’s ideal for candy like chocolate bark. But you can skip it with dipped strawberries and simply melt the chocolate in the microwave!

Here are the basic steps (or skip to the recipe below):

1. Wash and dry the strawberries: Make the berries as dry as possible so the chocolate will stick.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave: Place the chocolate chips into a dry glass measuring cup, or a small glass cup or bowl. Microwave on High for 30 seconds, then stir. Cook in two more 30-second bursts, stirring after each. At this point, it should be mostly melted, with a few chunks remaining. Keep stirring until all the chocolate chunks disappear and the chocolate is perfectly smooth.
3. Dip the strawberries and add toppings: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Holding the green portion of a strawberry, dip it into the chocolate. Then pull it out, twisting it to let the excess drip off. Place the strawberry onto the baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with toppings. Repeat for all berries.
4. Refrigerate: Refrigerate the tray of strawberries until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes.

Best Chocolate to Use

What’s the best chocolate for chocolate covered strawberries? Semi-sweet chocolate, either chocolate chips, melting wafers, baking chips, or a chocolate bar. Semi-sweet chocolate has just the right sweetness level to match the tartness of the berries. I prefer it over milk or bittersweet chocolate.

Use a high-quality brand of chocolate chips, like Guittard or Ghirardelli, if possible. My favorite is Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips. They’re a bit larger than standard chips and make a smooth, crisp chocolate coating. (They’re also great for chocolate covered bananas and chocolate covered almonds!)

Topping Ideas

There are so many fun ideas for topping chocolate covered strawberries. I like to use crushed pistachios and crushed freeze-dried raspberries, which make a beautifully bright color contrast! Here are some more fun topping ideas:

• Sprinkles
• Crushed pistachios (shown)
• Crushed freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries (shown)
• Crushed pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts
• Toasted coconut
• White chocolate to drizzle (see below)
• Crushed cookies

Flavor Variation to Try

For a fun twist on this recipe, try using white chocolate instead! I prefer the semi-sweet, but you can swap in white chocolate or do half-and-half. Add a white chocolate drizzle for a professional-looking finishing touch. Here’s how to do it:

• Melt half the amount of white chocolate in the method above. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between.
• After dipping in chocolate, use a fork to drizzle white chocolate. A fork is key to getting the nice, even lines (don’t use a spoon).

Important note: When shopping for white chocolate, make sure cocoa butter (not vegetable oil) is listed as an ingredient. White chocolate with vegetable oil doesn’t melt as easily.

More Strawberry Desserts to Try

• Strawberry Crumble
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Fresh Strawberry Pie
• Simplest Strawberry Tart