How to Make Valentine Strawberries (2024)

FAQs

How to melt candy melts for strawberries? ›

Microwave at half power for 30 seconds and knead bag. Continue to microwave and knead at 15 second intervals, until candy is melted.

Chocolate covered strawberries are best enjoyed fresh, but you can prepare them a day in advance. Once the chocolate has hardened, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Remove them about 30 minutes before serving to let them come to room temperature, enhancing their flavor and texture.

Wash and Thoroughly Dry the Strawberries First

I like to do this in advance and allow the strawberries to sit on some paper towels for at least an hour, allowing them to fully air dry. Dipping a damp strawberry will not only ruin your melted chocolate but it won't stick properly to the strawberry.

Because coffee grounds are slightly acidic, they are ideal for strawberries and other plants that prefer a slightly acidic soil. Although coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, they should not be used as the only fertiliser for strawberries, as they contain hardly any other nutrients.

(If you are only using one type of chocolate, you may want to melt more than I am showing here. But since I was doing half in white chocolate, half in dark chocolate – I only needed two custard cups full of melts to dip about half a dozen strawberries.)

If you're planning on saving your chocolate covered strawberries for more than one day, yep, they'll need to be refrigerated. Unfortunately, this means that they will sweat a little bit. To minimize sweating, place a couple sheets of paper towels into the bottom of an airtight container.

There are two secrets to ensuring your chocolate perfectly sticks to your strawberries. You need to fully dry the strawberries with paper towels, as too much moisture will keep the chocolate from sticking. And ensure they reach room temperature before you dip them to help the chocolate stick.

Chocolate chips work perfectly fine; chopped chocolate bars or melting wafers work even better. And it doesn't matter which type of chocolate you prefer—dark, milk, or white—they all make delicious chocolate-covered strawberries!

It is very hard because strawberries are made of 90% water. Do not dip when they are very cold, try to use room temperature strawberries. For an even better result, do not put them in the refrigerator but in a cold place.

It could be that your room temperature is too high. If the temperature is over 68 F, this can cause problems. The ideal setting temperature is between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It could also be that the chocolate wasn't tempered, because untempered chocolate takes quite a bit longer to set.

Why won't my candied strawberries harden? ›

If you candied strawberries are not hardening, there could be a number of reasons. You didn't cook your syrup to the correct temperature. You must hit 305F. The candy shell is too thick and taking longer to harden.

The trick to making your strawberries look extra fancy is to dry them upside down on toothpicks stuck in floral foam rather than just laying them on parchment paper. This way, you get a smooth coating of chocolate all the way around instead of having one flat side.

Factors causing small or deformed fruit include: Poor pollination. Tarnished plant bug. Frost damage.

Strawberries and raspberries are also shaped like the heart and are filled with vitamin C and the antioxidant polyphenol, which prevents plaque from forming. Cherries contain an antioxidant known as anthocyanin that protects blood vessels, and are high in potassium, which lowers blood pressure.