by Holly Huffstutler

Created on: May 05, 2009

Chocolate covered strawberries are one of mankind's greatest epiphanies. Who ever savored chocolate and then tasted a strawberry and decided to put them together is worthy of heroic worship from any true lover of sweet things. The crack of the hardened chocolate, followed by the ooze of the strawberry's juices as you bite into the sweet red fruit that's basically a dessert to start of with.

Because these delectable concoctions are bite sized, they are perfect on a buffet or a tray of appetizers passed around. They are also somewhat time consuming depending on how many you require and but the time you spend will be worth it when you bite into one and see your blissful expression reflected on your guests faces.

The best tip of all is to make more than enough for everyone who will be enjoying them. Yes fruit, like all fresh food, is more cost prohibitive than its boxed and canned counterparts. But people will want more than one of the chocolat covered berries and what would be sadder than being left with none for yourself?

This is a treat you'll need to be properly prepared for in terms of materials. Because the chocolate will be drying and its shell shouldn't be tampered with before it's time to bite in, layout some waxed or parchment paper on a flat surface before you start dipping the fruit into the melted chocolate.

Choosing the right chocolate to dip the fruit in is a matter of opinion. But don't try to make it with a concoction of cocoa powder and butter, it just can't be done. Semi sweet will harden quicker and is less inclined to melt, but a quality milk chocolate tends to be the more common favorite with regards to taste. Milk chocolate will still harden, so if you prefer its creamier taste than go forth, but be prepared to keep it very cool.

Make sure the strawberries you choose are fresh and at least medium in size. Even chocolate won't revive that sad tiny shriveled berry in the corner of the carton.

Besides choosing your ingredients, properly melting the chocolate so it clings to the strawberries just right is very important for success in this endeavor. Chop up your chocolate if you bought it in bars. Then you can melt it in one of two ways. You can microwave the chocolate in 20 second intervals until the chocolate is melted and reheat in whenever it starts to harden. For this method, you'll need a microwave safe bowl that's deep enough to get the strawberries in. To make things easier, there are chocolate companies that package pieces of chocolate in microwave safe containers with specific instruction. But if you are inclined to do it the old fashioned way get a saucepan, fill it halfway with water and put the chocolate in a metal bowl on top of it. This will melt without scorching ant the chocolate will stay melted due to the heat source below.

Now just grasp your cleaned strawberries by the leaves and dip in the chocolate, swirling to fully coat, and let dry on the waxed paper. If you aren't serving immediately, refrigerate them all.

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