It isn’t technically spring yet but it sure feels like it here in Arkansas. We’ve enjoyed springlike weather with temperatures in the 70s and 80s all week. I’ve absolutely loved it and it has kindled my desire to make spring treats and fire up the grill.
Every spring there is a little, local store run by a farm that opens in our town. They have fields and fields of strawberries and the kids and I love to load up on fresh strawberries from this store. We typically by a couple of huge boxes of those sweet berries and make all kinds of yummy treats in addition to just enjoying some fresh berries. We usually make fresh strawberry jam and strawberry muffins but my favorite treat to make with the kids is chocolate-covered strawberries! Our little, local farm store won’t open until April so we had to settle for strawberries from the grocery store but the girls and I got a head start on strawberry treats this afternoon.
Since this spring weather has put us in the mood for spring treats and it is the weekend before Valentine’s Day, Emily, Lauren, and I headed to the kitchen to add a Valentine’s spin to chocolate-covered strawberries. Chocolate-covered strawberries are the perfect thing to satisfy my sweet tooth and one of the easiest, kid-friendly things to make in the kitchen.
We began by washing our strawberries off. The girls do a great job at rinsing the berries and then using a paper towel to gently dry them off. The chocolate becomes watered down and doesn’t stick to the berries if you don’t make sure they are dry.
Since this is a treat that I tend to make with the kids every year, I definitely try to make it as easy as possible. One way I do that is by using Bakers Heat and Dip Dipping Chocolate. Guys, I love this stuff! It is so easy and it tastes sooooo good! Open the package and stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the chips around with a spoon and then stick is back in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Repeat until it is all melted.
Once your chocolate is melted, gently grab a clean, dry strawberry by the stem and dip it into the melted chocolate. Set the dipped strawberries on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and let them sit until the chocolate had hardened. Since it is so close to Valentine’s Day, my girls and I decided to get creative and add some Valentine’s sprinkles but the plain chocolate ones are still my favorite. For the white chocolate ones, we used Ghiradelli White Chocolate Baking Chips. We used these the same way that we used the Bakers Heat and Dip Dipping Chocolate. We put some of the white chocolate in a small, deep bowl and melted them for thirty seconds at a time in the microwave. We then dipped the strawberries in the white chocolate just like we did in the Bakers Chocolate. If you want to add sprinkles, then make sure you sprinkle them on the strawberries immediately after you dip them and before the chocolate dries.
Bakers Heat and Dip Dipping Chocolate provides such a wonderful, smooth coat of chocolate and isn’t too hard when it dries. It is so smooth and creamy once it dries on the strawberries! One container usually does a pint of strawberries, give or take. For the five of us in the house that can eat them, we usually make two pints of strawberries and use two of these dipping chocolate containers.
This treat literally took less than twenty minutes for my girls and I to make. Even allowing the chocolate time to dry, these strawberries were ready to eat in under an hour. You can pop your cookie sheet with strawberries in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make the chocolate harden quicker. Also, they will keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
During the spring and summer months, we usually make these a couple of times a month. They are a quick and easy treat. I would much rather my kids eat fruit with a bit of chocolate than having something like a brownie or cookie for a snack so I consider it a win on the healthy eating front as well. We don’t generally add sprinkles to our strawberries but we thought it would be fun for Valentine’s Day. You can omit them though or add different colors for different holidays. Green for St. Patrick’s day or pretty pastels for Easter would be cute! Give it a try! The next time you are creating your grocery order for your Walmart grocery pickup (best thing ever!) throw some Bakers Heat and Dip Dipping Chocolate and some strawberries in your cart for a quick, sweet treat! Happy dipping!
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