Chocolate dipped strawberries

The first of the strawberries were picked at Waterberry Farm this week. It looks like we're going to have a great crop this year! I brought home a large bag of the "less than perfect" berries. They taste just fine but my Dad won't sell a berry that he feels isn't perfection. He takes it very seriously. I can't tell you how many strawberries I've had to look and help him decide weather it's okay to sell or not. By the way we have 6000 plants and yes I'm almost certain that he looks at every single berry! So these berries didn't make the cut but that's fine with me. Hubs and I ate as many as we wanted fresh and I dipped the rest into dark chocolate. After wrapping them in a robe of chocolate I rolled them in chocolate sprinkles or crushed toffee bits.
Chocolate dipped strawberries are a quick easy treat, but they look impressive. Roll the chocolate dipped berries into nuts or sprinkles and they look like something that came from a candy store. These strawberries certainly don't look less than perfect anymore!

Method

Melt 5-6 ounces of semi-sweet or white chocolate chocolate

Microwave directions for melting chocolate:
Place coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe container and microwave at MEDIUM (50 percent power) for 1 1/2 to 4 minutes, until the chocolate turns shiny.
Remove the container from the microwave and stir the chocolate until completely melted. Be careful not to overheat or the chocolate can burn.



Dip strawberries in the melted chocolate, lightly shaking the berry to remove any excess chocolate. Roll the dipped strawberries in chopped nuts, chocolate sprinkles, or toffee bits. Place on parchment paper and let chocolate set-up. The strawberries are best eaten within a few hours of dipping them in the chocolate but can be kept overnight if refrigerated.
Note: make sure your strawberries are completely dry when you dip them into the chocolate. Any water on the berries will ruin the chocolate.