Remember the last time you bit into a luscious, juicy chocolate covered strawberry?
Was it more messy than you felt it should have been? Perhaps bits of hardened chocolate flaked off, juice ran down your chin, and your fingers were smeared with condensation soaked chocolate. Nothing about that is how you want to feel when enjoying the unbeatable combination of creamy chocolate and brightly sweet strawberries. So instead of putting the messy part on the outside, I thought that some of this season's favorite spring crop should fix the issue by putting the chocolate on the inside of the berries to make chocolate filled strawberries.
It doesn't take a lot of effort or ingredients to get this delicious treat from the carton to your mouth, just a little patience and time on the front end. Within an hour or two, you'll wonder why you ever wanted the chocolate to be on the outside of your strawberries.
If knife work isn't your game, check out this brief video of my hollowing out my berries. It begins with a straight slice across the top of the berry. From there, follow the light white ring and angle your knife inwards, like you're trying to cut a cone shape out of the berry (because that is the goal here).
Circle around the white ring as a guide a few times until the cone begins to loosen. If it doesn't, you can cut across the inner circle to loosen it. Be delicate and go slowly here, if you cut too deeply in the berry, you'll lose the cup that'll hold the chocolate in. Once complete, slice a bit of the bottom off parallel with the top, to give it a flat surface to stand up straight. Again, be conservative with the cuts, as you can always make a second cut if needed. Set each berry aside on a parchment paper lined pan.
Since berry sizes vary so much, this recipe can make anywhere between 14 to 24 chocolate filled berries on average. If you end up with more hollowed out berries than chocolate at first, add more chocolate and a dab of coconut oil into the double boiler and keep filling!
Chocolate Filled Strawberries
Equipment
- paring knife
Ingredients
- 16-20 strawberries
- 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark)
- ¼ tsp coconut oil
- whipped cream and sprinkles to garnish optional
Instructions
- Follow the steps and video above to hollow out the strawberries and make them stand upright on their own on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper.
- Use a double boiler over medium heat to melt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil together, stirring occasionally. Once the chips are halfway melted, turn the heat off but leave the pot and double boiler on the hot eye.
- Use a ½ teaspoon to gently spoon the melted chocolate into each strawberry one by one. After filling a berry, dip the bottom point in chocolate (just enough to give it a little "foot"), and place back on the parchment paper lined pan.
- Once all berries are filled and dipped on the bottom, carefully transfer to the fridge to harden for at least an hour.
- Decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles as desired. Put any leftover berries in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
These do keep in the fridge for at least one day (that I am aware of) but a condensation does form on the berries and the chocolate, which make them prone to leaving light sweaty brown puddles from the chocolate feet on whatever surface they are sitting on. But if you're just eating them throughout the day and not presenting them on a party platter, carry on!
My favorite strawberries are the locally grown, springtime only, Cottle Farms strawberries. It's not a real spring if their green and white striped tents don't pop up on the roadside, beckoning me to grab a flat of berries that looks like way too many. Even during a pandemic, there's nothing like biting into that comforting taste of a sweet, ripe berry. Maybe even especially during a pandemic, and when that strawberry is filled with chocolate too.
Looking for more ways to enjoy strawberry season? Try strawberry soup, strawberry muffins, and strawberry honey ice pops!
