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Chocolate covered strawberries has to be hands down the most popular dessert to have on Valentines Day.  They are perfect because they are light, decadent and super easy to make!  Even if you are going out to dinner this Valentines Day, wouldn’t it be nice to come home to a couple beautiful chocolate dipped strawberries?  Ok, here is the “how to” for those of you who have never done them:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

What you’ll need:

12 strawberries (I found the ones with the long stems at Trader Joe’s, but regular strawberries will do)

about 8 oz. dark chocolate

a pad of Earth Balance (or coconut oil)

about 2 oz. white chocolate (if you want to drizzle)

What you’ll do:

Wash your strawberries well, and let dry fully.  Wet strawberries and chocolate do not play well together!  Put some wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Make a double boiler with a heat proof bowl and a pot with 1 inch of water or use a double boiler.  Turn the heat on and when simmering, reduce the heat to low.  Place the chocolate and the pad of butter in the bowl and melt.

1111st1Stir often so it melts evenly.  Next I like to arrange the strawberries un-dipped on the tray so I know they will all fit.

1111st2One at a time, hold the strawberries by the stem and leaves and dip into the chocolate.  Turn side to side to make sure it’s covered.  Remove from the chocolate and place back on the cookie sheet.

1111st4When you have finished all of them, place the white chocolate in a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds stopping to stir halfway.  When it’s melted, use a fork to drizzle over the strawberries.

1111st5There you have it!  So easy right?  And why not decorate the plate like above with a little leftover chocolate?  Just use a knife and spread in the shape of a heart.

You can serve them immediately or stick them in the fridge until your sweetheart comes home.

** A chocolate note:  I really enjoy using high quality chocolates like valrhona.  Just stay away from using chocolate chips, I find they have a high wax content that doesn’t make for the tastiest strawberries.  So try to use the discs or bars.

These pair spectacularly well with the moscato I told you about earlier.

Enjoy!