The Easiest Way To Get Creamy, Not Crunchy, Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

While chocolate-covered strawberries are a showstopper at any occasion, some folks find that a crunchy shell clashes with the juicy tenderness of the fruit. If you want a creamy coating rather than a stiff one, ganache is a great ingredient hack that is quick, easy, and only requires you to keep a bit of heavy cream on hand.

Using one ounce of cream for every three ounces of chocolate creates a smooth, velvety coating that sticks to your strawberries just as well as pure melted chocolate, but with a far creamier texture. Plus, a ganache doesn't require you to use fancy equipment or a double boiler method! Simply heat a saucepan of cream until just boiling, then pour into a bowl of chocolate, stirring gently until the whole confection melts together into a glaze. When warm, the mixture is thin enough to easily dip fruits. Once it reaches room temperature, however, it hardens just enough to adhere to your strawberries' skins without creating a firm shell.

Using this method, couverture is still the best type of chocolate for deliciously dipped strawberries because its high cocoa butter content helps them melt evenly into the cream. The additional dairy fats add notes of richness to the already sweet chocolate, creating a dessert that's easy to bite and practically melts on the tongue. But while ganache makes chocolate-dipped strawberries a breeze, you'll still want to prep and store your fruits properly for the best possible product.

While the ganache hack may make chocolate-dipped strawberries easier and better than ever, you'll still want to stick with some tried and true best practices. Strawberries are a high-water fruit that tend to "sweat" a bit when refrigerated, so you'll want to take any steps you can to minimize their surface moisture.

If your chocolate isn't sticking to your strawberries, they may not have dried properly. Just like pat drying chicken before you batter it for frying, your fruit's skins should be bone dry, glossy, and free of any dampness. In the best case scenario, this water creates a barrier that prevents your chocolate from adhering to the surface. In the worst case, it drips off the berries into the bowl, thinning out your chocolate to the point that you might have to throw it out and make a new batch. After rinsing, pat dry your strawberries and let them air dry in a well-ventilated space to avoid either of these outcomes.

If you want to store chocolate covered strawberries for fresh flavor, treat them like cheese! Just like cheese, they need a light covering like plastic wrap that protects them from too much air exposure and outside particles, but it has to be breathable enough to wick away their excess moisture. While this helps prolong their shelf life, chocolate-covered strawberries, in general, don't keep very well. After making them, you'll only have a day or two to finish them off before water gathers between the ganache and the fruit in the fridge.