Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

While we've done our fair share of creative takes on the staple Valentine's Day dessert, from chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecakes to chocolate-covered strawberry shooters, you really can't beat the simple, easy classic. These chocolate-covered strawberries are a staple Valentine's Day dessert, and are so easy to make (and perfect). If you procrastinated on a gift this year (or want to save some dough), make these chocolate-covered treats right at home. They only take 10 minutes to create, but will be a heartfelt gift that will mean the world to your Valentine. Here’s everything you need to know:

The best chocolate for chocolate-covered strawberries:
We recommend using standard semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use dark chocolate, too. If you're a fan of white chocolate, you might enjoy our strawberry ghosts.

How to melt chocolate for dipping:
You can melt chocolate the fancy way in a double boiler (which really only sounds fancy—it's super simple), or you can just melt it in the microwave in a heat-proof bowl.

Top tips for making chocolate-covered strawberries:
— How do I make sure my chocolate sticks? The key thing here is you must make sure your strawberries are 100 % dry before dipping in your chocolate! If there's too much moisture on your strawberries, the chocolate will not stick properly and the water content will also disturb the crystallization in your melted chocolate.
— Do I need to use coconut oil in the chocolate? We like to combine coconut oil and melted chocolate so that the chocolate hardens faster and a little thicker. The coconut oil makes the chocolate act like a chocolate magic shell. It's not essential—and doesn't add much flavor at all—but we recommend it because it makes the chocolate much smoother to work with. If you don't have coconut oil, vegetable or canola oil would be great alternatives!

Topping ideas for chocolate-covered strawberries:
We love these chocolate-covered strawberries plain, but you can add any toppings you please! Chopped nuts, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, or toasted coconut would all be great here. 

Should I refrigerate chocolate-covered strawberries?
Once they're done, you'll want to refrigerate the strawberries until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. We like the strawberries to be closer to room temperature for serving—if it's too cold, the chocolate might be too hard and you'll have a difficult time biting through the shell!

Storage:
If you have any, store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for 2-3 days.

If you've made these treats, let us know how you liked 'em and drop us a rating and comment down below!