Happy Valentine's Day everyone! It's supposedly the most romantic day of the year, but let's be honest - we're really in it for the delicious treats, right?
This year, Clara and I have been scrambling to be crafty and put some sweets & thoughts into our Valentine gifts. She came up with the great idea about treat jars (stay tuned for this post) and I suggested some yummy chocolate covered strawberries.
Again, this is a big deal for me, b/c unlike Clara, I'm not so good in the kitchen.
First step in making chocolate-covered strawberries? Buy the goods - strawberries, nuts, semi sweet milk chocolate, white chocolate, and I even go PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE chips!
Next, wash the strawberries and pat them dry. You have to make sure they're completely dry, or else the moisture will prevent the chocolate from sticking evenly. Choose large strawberries and watch out for ones with bruises - you don't want to cover those in chocolate, so just eat them as go :)
Once the strawberries are dry, stick toothpicks halfway into the bottoms. This is so that when you're dipping them into the chocolate, you can have leverage and prevent things from getting a bit messy.
Next step: Melting the chocolate chips. You can do so in a bowl over boiling water, which is the best way to keep the chocolate melting evenly. But, if you're pressing on time, just microwave a bowl of them for around a minute and mix around one they're mushy.
Dip the chocolates, and lay them out on a flat tray with wax paper/cookie sheet. Make sure you leave enough room between two strawberries. Once your tray is full, place in the fridge for a minimum of an hour. Look how delicious they look.... *drool*
NOTE: If you want to decorate over the first layer of chocolate, do so before you stick them in the fridge. Leave the first layer to harden a bit for at least fifteen minutes before you start the next layer.
If the extra decorating means covering with a layer of crushed nuts, do so right after you dip in chocolate!!!
TA DAAA! After the chocolate is hardened, gently remove the toothpick - it should come out easily. Homemade chocolate-covered strawberries for your friends, family and loved one.
Don't forget cute details on the packaging. I used cupcake papers like below:
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