I have always been fascinated with chocolate-dipped fruits. I find the chocolate-dipped strawberries the prettiest. With my new interest in baking I have all new ingredients in my pantry. This include a big bag of chocolate chips that I use to make chocolate- chip cookies. Both my kids love the home-made chocolate-chip cookies :) and so I make it all the time! Strawberries have a perennial presence in my refrigerator as my daughter loves them. Hence strawberries was the obvious choice of fruit to be dipped in chocolate when I decided to make chocolate-dipped strawberries. I decided to try a small batch in case I failed. The result of course was a resounding success. My kids loved it, my neighbor loved it. I even made a batch for my neighbor to take for her Easter party! These make a great healthy dessert!
This is how I made it:
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries: 30
Semi-sweet chocolate morsels: 1 cup
Method:
Wash the strawberries and air dry them thoroughly on a paper towel.
Line a tray with parchment paper and keep ready.
Take one cup chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and warm it at 100% power for 1 1/2 minutes(90 seconds). The chocolate should melt by now. You may see a few whole pieces, which when stirred will melt. If needed you can add additional 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Overheating the chocolate will harden it and render it useless for dipping.
Once the chocolate is completely melted, dip the strawberry into the chocolate until it is half-way in. Twirl it two times to coat it well. Remove, shake off the excess chocolate and place on parchment paper.
Do the same with all the strawberries.
Place the strawberries for 30-60 minutes (or until time of serving) in the refrigerator to allow them to harden.
These are best made the same day as the day you intend to serve.
Serve chilled.
Enjoy!
Cooking made easy:
The best way to wash strawberries is by mixing 1 part of vinegar with 10 parts cold water. Soak the strawberries for 2-4 minutes and then air dry them.
Strawberries are extremely delicate and go bad quick. The best way to store them after cleaning and drying them is by keeping it in the refrigerator in a container that is lined with paper and is vented.
Tip for healthy living:
Strawberries are one of the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables. What that means is that strawberries have a high content of pesticide and insecticides in them since they have a very thin skin. Whenever possible and if one can afford, it is best to buy organic strawberries as opposed to regular ones.
The dirty dozen group of vegetables are all the one that are high in pesticide content. This can have a negative impact on a growing child's development.
Food for thought:
Try to leave the Earth a better place than when you arrived. Sidney Sheldon
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