DIY Valentine's Gift - Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

DIY Valentine’s Gift: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
11 Feb 2009 02:01 PM PST

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries are a luxurious Valentine’s Day treat — but they’re also expensive. Save money by making yours at home!

One of the most popular Valentine’s goodies is chocolate dipped strawberries. Very few people can resist fat, juicy strawberries covered in decadent chocolate. Purchasing chocolate dipped strawberries in a bakery or gourmet shop can be quite expensive, especially when they are atop a cake. This Valentine’s Day, why not plan a delicious dinner at home and finish it off with some chocolate covered strawberries for dessert!

With a bit of time and very little difficulty, these can be made at home for considerably less cost. A lot of recipes claim that you can melt chocolate in the microwave for dipping, but I have never had much success with the chocolate staying smooth and creamy. Therefore, I prefer to use a double boiler. Don’t feel intimidated by the thought of using a double boiler — it’s actually quite simple. This article has good instructions on using a double boiler. Additionally, you have to be very careful not to get any moisture into the chocolate or it will break up and get grainy. I usually melt both dark and white chocolate, and alternate dipping the strawberries in each, or dip in dark chocolate, cool, then drizzle with white chocolate. It’s all up to you and your imagination.

Heart Cake with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
You’ll need:

* 1 lb. strawberries, washed and patted dry
* 12 oz dark chocolate
* double boiler
* wax paper
* toothpicks (optional)

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil in the double boiler and then turn down so that the water is not boiling when you add the chocolate. Melt the dark chocolate and set aside. Melt the white chocolate and set aside. Holding the strawberry by the stem or using a toothpick, dip the strawberry into the chocolate and place on the wax paper to cool. When you are done, place the strawberries in the refrigerator to set the chocolate.

These can be boxed or placed in cellophane bags for gifts, or placed on a cake for a beautiful dessert.

Trish Robinson is a writer living in Houston, Texas. She writes about various parenting and family issues, and has had articles published in Parenting, Redbook and has previously written for AOL’s “Parent Dish,” and Houston Press.