The Best Type Of Chocolate To Use For Deliciously Coated Strawberries

Strawberries and chocolate are each fantastic on their own. Together, they make for a dreamy and sophisticated treat that's as fun to look at as it is to eat. Sure, chocolate-covered strawberries evoke a sense of romance, but we think they're a winning dessert fit for any occasion.

For the best results, don't focus on the cacao percentages. Instead, prioritize a chocolate with lots of cocoa butter, just like the professionals do. You'll find bars labeled "couverture," which indicates it has at least 31% cocoa butter. That's higher than the content of both milk and dark chocolate bars.

To make the fruit snack at home, you may need to brush up on how to easily temper chocolate, as this step is essential when using the chocolate. The process involves carefully heating and stirring chocolate to encourage it to form firm, strong crystals. Doing so ensures each enrobed strawberry has a beautiful shine and nice snap.

Couverture is the designation of choice when it comes to coating confections because it ensures the most crisp, glossy coating possible. In addition to improving the texture and appearance, the increased cocoa butter speeds up the melting process and keeps it more fluid. This allows cooks to better control the thickness of their encased strawberries, as the extra fat allows it to melt into a thinner liquid that you can drizzle for decoration and layer depending on your tastes.

In comparison, regular chocolate chips are formulated to stay in place when they're baked into cookies and other desserts. This means that when you melt them down, they'll remain thick and soft and ultimately produce strawberries weighed down by a heavy, fudgy shell. Though you can thin the chocolate chips you already own with coconut oil, other fats will bring their own flavors, and the resulting mixture won't produce the same crackle.

Thankfully, white, milk, and dark chocolate are all available with a higher cocoa butter content, so you won't need to make any hard choices when it comes to your favorite hue. All three types are available at the grocery store and online. Many popular chocolate manufacturers, especially premium brands, offer disks of couverture chocolate at a range of prices, but you will find that they cost more than your average morsel, and each one has its own taste, so it might take some trial and error to find your go-to.

Once you've nailed tempering chocolate, the rest of the strawberry-making process is smooth sailing. To make the treat even more delicious, consider incorporating more toppings and decorations. If you're swimming in fresh fruit, this is also the time to experiment with your favorite flavors or enrobe other treats, like candied citrus, rice crispy treats, and even bacon.

Regardless of which ingredients you dip, you can achieve an elegant twist on the classic by pouring a swirl of white chocolate directly into dark chocolate (or vice versa), then coating and lifting to create a marble effect. Or, focus on flavor and roll each strawberry in a whimsical and colorful cereal, tart freeze-dried strawberries, or sweet-savory crushed peanuts. You can even get the best of both worlds by stuffing hulled strawberries with cream cheese frosting before or after dipping them in chocolate.

Before you get started, make sure to let your strawberries and other chilled produce come to room temperature, then dry them with a paper towel. This stops your fruit from sweating as it meets the hot liquid, which will stop the chocolate from sticking. That extra condensation also encourages fruit to spoil, so be thoughtful about how you store chocolate-covered strawberries, as the return to cold temperatures can also trigger the release of more moisture.