Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Article by Emily Saladino

This chocolate-covered strawberry recipe is elegant and foolproof. Whether Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, or you happen upon good-looking berries at a great price, dipped fruit is always fun and festive.

How to Make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Like a Pro

Dipping strawberries in chocolate isn’t half as messy or complicated as you might think. Our recipe developers break down the process, so your berries turn out perfectly.

Look for jumbo berries with stems. They’re the easiest to handle and provide a large canvas for dipping and decorating.

Make sure the strawberries are completely dry. To wash the strawberries, fill a large bowl with cold water, add the berries then use your hands to swish them around. Dry them thoroughly with paper towels so the melted chocolate sticks to the surface and solidifies evenly.

How to melt chocolate for dipping. Melt the chocolate for strawberries on the stovetop using a double boiler or heat-safe bowl set over a medium saucepan with a few inches of simmering water, or in the microwave at half-power in 1-minute bursts.

Semisweet is best for chocolate-covered strawberries. Our recipe developers start with chopped semisweet chocolate because it complements the sweetness of the berries and the bright white chocolate drizzle pops against its dark color. But if you prefer, you can substitute the semisweet chocolate for six ounces of your favorite milk chocolate. Or make a white chocolate strawberry dip: melt nine ounces of white chocolate and skip the drizzle or use six ounces of white chocolate for the dip and three ounces of semisweet chocolate to decorate the dipped fruit.

Strawberry decorating tips. After you dip the berries in the melted dark chocolate, let them set for 30 minutes at room temperature or speed up the process by putting them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before decorating them. Our recipe developers use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate because it creates lots of small, intricate-looking lines with minimal effort and no fancy tools.

How to Store Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Strawberries covered with chocolate are best made on the day you plan to serve them, when the fruit is juicy, and the chocolate coating is firm with an elegant sheen. However, you can make this chocolate-covered strawberries recipe up to one day in advance and store them covered on the counter. Any longer, and you'll need to put them in the fridge.

Can You Freeze Chocolate-Covered Strawberries?

Our recipe developers don’t suggest freezing these because the thawed fruit will have an unpleasantly mushy texture and the chocolate coating will warp or even crack.