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Julie Bove Julie Bove is offline
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Default Chocolate covered strawberries


Strawberries are in season in my area and they're really yummy! I am
enjoying some chocolate covered ones. I can safely eat one or two without
them affecting my BG and they're so easy to make!

Start with some good, sweet strawberries. I like the big ones. Wash them
and carefully dry them, leaving the green part at the top on them. They can
be room temp., but if they're chilled before you dip them the chocolate will
set up a lot quicker.

Select your chocolate. I used Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chips because they
do not contain any milk or soy. I am allergic to those things. You can use
any type of chocolate you have, but if it's not in small bits, chop it to
make it so. Prior to the food allergies and diabetes, I'd even chop up a
chocolate rabbit. That kind will work too.

There are two ways to melt the chocolate. The most important things are not
to let any steam or water get into the chocolate (will cause it to stiffen),
not to use heat that is too hot and to heat it only until melted and no
longer.

I melted mine in the microwave. To do this, put the chocolate in a
microwavable dish. You can do a little at a time. You can always do more
if you need to. Make sure that the dish is not too deep because you'll need
to get your hands in it. A little custard cup is fine if you are only doing
a few berries.

Set the microwave at 50% power and about 3 minutes. Turn it on and check
and stir the chocolate at 30 second intervals. I use an iced tea spoon for
this because I like the long handle. The chocolate is ready when it starts
to look shiny and slightly softened. Stir until it's melted. You may need
to put it back in the microwave for a few seconds but be careful that it
doesn't cook for too long or it will take on a funny texture.

Hold the strawberry by the green part at the top and dip it into the
chocolate. You may need to use the spoon to sort of give the berry a bath
in the chocolate. I prefer them not to be fully coated but about 3/4
coated. Use the spoon to carefully remove any excess chocolate that drips
off. Then set them aside to set up on a plate covered with Release foil,
lightly buttered waxed paper, or even paper or foil candy cups.

You can also melt the chocolate on the stove using a double boiler type
setup. You don't have to use an actual double boiler. You can simply use
hot water in a shallow pan or skillet and then place your bowl of water in
it, stirring frequently until melted, just as with the microwave. If you
use this method, be sure that the water does not boil or it will create
steam. And with either method, if you find that the chocolate is too thick
to work with, you can add a drop of oil. I try not to do this because the
chocolate tends to be more soft when it sets up and it tends to melt at room
temp.

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