Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Sweet Simple Strawberries.

​Hi, Everybody! We are still all about Valentine’s Day! This is our second Charli Ann’s Heavenly Techniques video and you are going to love these! Not only because they taste absolutely delicious, but also because they’re just so easy. There are a few tricks you need to know, but you can so do this!

​This is what you’ll need:
​

​1 Pound fresh strawberries (about 20)
12 oz. chocolate chips, (good quality, milk or dark)
3 oz. white chocolate

​Simple, right! Pretty much, if you follow a few easy steps.

​First, the fruit. Strawberries are beautiful things, but sometimes finding good ones in February can be a challenge. The trick is in weight, feel, and smell. They need to look red, of course, but they also need to feel a little heavy for their size. That’s because they’re full of juice. Go figure, right? And they need to feel just a little bit soft. Not mushy, but just so that when you squeeze them, they give a little. And they should smell sweet like, well, strawberry-y. 

And the chocolate. Make sure that the chips you use are a good quality chocolate. Store brands, even the ones that say they are all chocolate, sometimes use additives that, when they melt, cause the melt to turn grainy. I use Ghirardelli. It’s often found in grocery stores, and is reliable and melts beautifully. As for whether to use milk or dark, well I like milk, but that’s up to you.

Melting the chocolate is a gentle operation. Some people do it in the microwave and it works, but it’s also more temperamental. I melt my chocolate over a pan of simmering water. Just put a heatproof glass bowl over the pan of water and stir gently until it melts. It’s easy! And when you’re done, it will be nice and smooth.

Then dip the berries. Hold on to them by the stem, just like I do in the video, and dip them in. You don’t have to cover the whole red part of the berry. It’s way harder and it looks pretty when some of the berry shows over the top. After dipping, let it drip a minute, gently wipe off the end by touching it to the bowl or spatula,  then lay the berry on a piece of parchment paper and let it dry for 5 or 10 minutes, until the chocolate starts to harden. Then, if you want to do it like I do, dip it again. More chocolate! Yum!

After all the berries are almost completely dry, I add a finishing touch that makes them look fancy! Melt the white chocolate like you did the other and fill a small disposable pastry tube. I don’t use a tip because I only want the tiniest hole for this, smaller than any tip. Instead, snip the tiniest bit off the end of the tube (remember to twist the other end so the chocolate doesn’t leak out) and drizzle the white chocolate back in forth over the berries. You can do it like me, or make up your own pattern. You could even draw a heart if you want to! Either way, the white makes them look great!

​Only one thing left to do now….eat them! Lots of smiles with these, that’s for sure. And have napkins nearby. They’re juicy!