Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Strawberries seem to be plentiful year round these days. Dark chocolate is good for you, and so are strawberries, hey it works for me. Besides Valentine's Day would not be the same at my house without these babies and it's become an annual tradition at our house. I like to make some extra and surprise someone with them. My favorite person to surprise is an elderly person whose spouse is no longer alive. No one thinks about them anymore at this time of the year and what was once a day to look forward to has fallen by the wayside. I'm sure you can think of someone's day to brighten up. They are not just for Valentine's Day as there are so many occasions that you would enjoy these so put your thinking cap on. Sweets for the sweet.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• 2 cups Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips from a bag, 60 % Cocoa
  
• 3 Tbsp. Crisco
• ½ cup Ghirardelli Classic White chips, from a bag
• 2 (lbs.) large strawberries w/ leaves (and stems if possible)
• wax paper
• cooking spray

Wash strawberries and dry them well. The trick to coating them well is to have a dry cold berry. Place berries in refrigerator until ready to coat. Chill a cookie sheet in refrigerator.

Meanwhile melt bittersweet chocolate with 2 Tbsp. Crisco over top of double boiler over low heat. Stir with a wire whisk occasionally until just melted and smooth. Do not overheat chocolate, it will burn easily. When chocolate is melted remove berries and cookie sheet from refrigerator.

Cover cookie sheet with wax paper then spray with cooking spray. Hold onto leaves of berry and dip into chocolate coating evenly (start with the larger berries first working down to smaller ones). Hold above chocolate and when chocolate is done dripping place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat process until all berries are coated. Place cookie sheet with berries in refrigerator. Let berries chill for about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile heat white chips and 1 Tbsp Crisco over double boiler repeating same steps to melt chocolate. Scrap melted chocolate into a small ziploc baggie and trim off one corner. Remove strawberries from refrigerator and drizzle white chocolate over top of berries. The trick to a nice fine line of white chocolate is to have a tiny end cut from bag corner and drizzle in a swift back and forth motion squeezing chocolate from bag, about 8 inches above berries. Chill berries in refrigerator for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

Seal berries in an airtight container, if you need to layer them place a sheet of wax paper between them. They will keep about 1-2 days in refrigerator. Every time you make these it will get easier. Expensive to buy but inexpensive to make.