Have you ever wondered how to make those GORGEOUS chocolate-covered strawberries that people fork over the big bucks for? Well, I have some good news for you! They are so much easier than you think! People ask me to make these for them all the time. Truth is…I kind of feel like a fraud because people think I have this amazing talent, lol. But you will not believe how simple these are to do. Through all of the weddings, birthdays, holidays, baptisms, and all the special occasions, I have acquired a few little tips and tricks to help you give your berries that polished and professional look. These have a big WOW factor, so I am going to help you WOW that special someone in your life! I am going to save you a bunch of money and show you just how easy it is to make those show-stopping berries.
For starters, it’s no secret that bigger berries are prettier when it comes to making chocolate-covered strawberries. But since you can make these year round, you just have to go with whatever berries you can find. Strawberries come in season around May, but they are beautiful anytime you make them. Here is what you need:
This is all you need to make beautiful berries!
So when picking your chocolate, almond bark works best. Avoid candy quick or chocolate chips. Through lots of trial and error, I have learned the hard way that plain old almond bark works best. You can use either chocolate or vanilla as your base, or both. The traditional berries most people think of have a chocolate base and vanilla decoration. But it is just as pretty to reverse that. One package of bark will do 3 quarts of strawberries.
You need to be fairly organized when you get started because you will want to move quickly. Lay out two fairly long strips of wax paper for your berries to dry on and to have a little extra workspace for your bowl, spatulas, etc. Chocolate that solidifies on your countertop is a pain to clean, so keep your work surface covered.
So one trick I have learned over the years is that it works best to use a smaller, deeper glass bowl to melt your chocolate. The “deeper” your chocolate is, the easier it is to dip the entire berry in one motion. To melt your chocolate, break the bark into the rectangles and dump them in the glass bowl. Microwave for one minute. Stir (it won’t do much on this round). Microwave for 2 more minutes, possible more. But is is very important that you stir the chocolate every 20 seconds. Chocolate can overheat. And if it does, it is ruined. There is no coming back, so just throw it out, lol. That is why it is important to melt your chocolate this way. From this point, you will need to work quickly because fully melted chocolate works best.
It’s time to dip! This part is easy, but here are a few helpful tips. Begin by dipping the biggest berries first. Your melted chocolate is deep when you first begin, so it is easier to do the big ones first. Gently grab the leaves and bunch them up so that they stay out of the chocolate. You only need to dip the berries once. After you dip the berry, GENTLY give it a couple of shakes to drip off any excess chocolate. Then drag the back of the berry across the top of the bowl to remove any more excess. You really don’t want your chocolate to be too thick because it will create a “pool” of chocolate and harden that way. Plus, it uses up your chocolate too quickly. Up next, a VERY helpful tip!
After you have dipped your berry, lay it on the wax paper to harden. But here is the thing, and I have included a picture below to illustrate what I want to tell you here. As you dip each berry then lay it on the wax paper, you will make your life a LOT easier if you lay them out in a long straight line like this:
The reason for this will make sense in the next step. For now, just trust me. This makes the part that makes them so beautiful and fancy SO much easier.
Continue dipping your berries. Should the chocolate get thicker, you can microwave it again, if needed. But if you move quickly enough, you shouldn’t need to do that. After you have dipped all of the berries, it’s time to move onto the next step while the chocolate sets. This only take a few minutes.
Next up is the fun part, but this is where you need to trust me. Again, thousands of chocolate-covered strawberries later, I finally learned the secret to making them look like Sherrie’s Berries. Well, not exactly. But pretty dang close!
For 2-3 quarts of berries, melt 2 rectangles of vanilla almond bark (use same melting instructions as above, but it will not take as long since you have far less chocolate). This is too much chocolate for what you need, but any less and it is hard to grip to decorate if that makes sense. After the chocolate is melted, let it cool for a couple minutes. You are going to put this chocolate into a ziplock, but it will melt the bag if you put it in when it is too hot (learned that the hard way, too). I use a snack-size ziplock, and it works perfectly. Spoon it into the bag, squeeze out the extra air and seal TIGHTLY. Now here is another helpful tip that is super important (pic below to illustrate). Snip off the SMALLEST corner of the bag that you possible can. This step is one of the keys to making those super thin lines that you see on the professional berries. If you cut that hole too big, your drizzle will come out too “fat” and not look as nice. So cut the smallest corner possible (you can always do more) but hopefully you won’t need to.
Cut the smallest corner off that you can.
Next up is the part that makes them so pretty! With even pressure, squeeze the chocolate out. Now I practice on the wax paper first to get the hang of it and to test to make sure the hole is the right size. Once you are satisfies with your drizzle, it is time to drizzle your berries. Working one berry at a time, use a quick back and forth motion to make a very thin line across the berry. Go straight across, keeping your lines even. Now this is why it is helpful to have your berries lined up with the chocolate dip line line up. You can move much more quickly with your drizzle if they are lined up versus scattered all over your wax paper. It makes the entire process easy and fast!
Now if your drizzle is coming out “squiggly”, you may be squeezing too hard. Just lighten the pressure until you get a thin, straight line. Avoid getting too much on the leaves. Don’t worry, you can’t really mess them up. Now you can leave them like that, but I like to go back and do a quick diagonal drizzle to give them some extra texture. You are the boss here. Some people like less, and I have done them with lots of drizzle. But this is my favorite look below. Here is what they should look like.
And voila! Look how beautiful your berries are! You are already a pro, and you are going to look like a rockstar to your lucky recipient. These are always a fan favorite. They truly are such an easy and inexpensive gesture, but one with a big WOW factor!
All that is left is to plate them up. They look beautiful on any plate, but a white plate really makes them pop. Silver is also pretty, but whatever you use, they are beautiful on their own. The dollar store has some pretty silver trays that work nicely. So after the chocolate has hardened and you are putting them on a plate, they will come up with a little extra lines of drizzle. Just flake those off before you put them on the plate to give them a neat, polished look. And they are all ready to go!
A few final tips. Ideally, you will give these away (or eat them) the day you do them. You can leave them out of the refrigerator if you are going to consume them on the same day. They truly are best that way. At most, you have 24 hours. Just pop them in the fridge. However, they will produce a little pool of juice as they sit. That is just the nature of strawberries.
One last little helpful tip to make your cleanup a ton easier. Solidified chocolate is a PAIN to clean. So while your berries are hardening, scrape the still-soft chocolate straight into the trash can and fill the bowl with hot, soapy water. It is not a good idea to put much chocolate down your disposal. Trust me on this.
And that is it, my friend! See what I mean? These are so simple and elegant. Again, I am no pro. But I do make a pretty chocolate-covered strawberry! It may take you some trial and error to get them how you want them to look. Trust me, you will get better the more you do them. But don’t worry, you can’t mess them up. Even if they aren’t perfect, they will be the perfect gift for that special someone. I would love to hear your feedback below! And I would really love to see your strawberries! Email me, or follow my journey on Instagram and send me a picture! I would be thrilled to see them.
Feel free to ask any questions. I am always happy to help! If you have an Instagram account, I have highlighted an actual video tutorial here under “Tutorials” so you can see them in action!
