Yield: Varies

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Ingredients

12-24 Whole, fresh strawberries
2 cups chocolate (dark, milk, semi-sweet, or white)
Decorations like chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, coconut, or white chocolate if desired for decorating

Instructions

Rinse and dry strawberries.
Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment or wax paper.
Microwave chocolate in a glass cup or dish on high until melted. Start with 1 minute and stir. If needed, microwave again a little longer (about 30 seconds) and stir again. Repeat until melted and smooth.
Dip strawberry into melted chocolate by holding the stem. Pull out, twirl and allow excess chocolate to drip back in the cup. Set on prepared tray to dry.
If decorating, do this now. Dip strawberries in decorations or sprinkle them on.
Dry chocolate-covered strawberries at room temperature or in the refrigerator until chocolate is hard.
(If you are going to double-dip or drizzle the strawberries with another layer of chocolate (like white on dark), wait until the first layer of chocolate has cooled completely and hardened. You can also dip the second layer of chocolate in additional decorations while the chocolate is still wet.)
Serve or store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Notes

Strawberries may also be served before the chocolate is dry, it is just a little messy.

If you let the strawberries dry in the refrigerator they will take about 30 minutes for the chocolate to set. If you let then air dry at room temperature they will take longer. The warmer the air is the longer they will take to dry.

You may also melt the chocolate in a mini-slow cooker on warm. Stir frequently.

Make sure there are no water drops on the dish or spoon that is coming in contact with the chocolate. Any water can make the chocolate hard and lumpy.

I have used chocolate chips, bars, and chunks. You may also mix chocolate types if you want. If you use bars, break them into small pieces before melting. You can also use chocolate specially made for dipping and drizzling (sometimes called chocolate melts).

Yield: About 24

Apricot-Orange Balls

Ingredients

10 ounces apricots, dried
2/3 cup almonds, whole, toasted
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest (from 2 oranges)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (Kosher preferred)
1/3 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (semi-sweet or dark)

Instructions

Wash and dry oranges. Zest oranges, set aside.
Separately chop apricots and almonds in a blender (low speed) or food processor.
Place chopped apricots and almonds in a bowl and mix together.
Stir in sugar, orange zest, salt and orange juice.
Roll mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.
Microwave chocolate in a glass container on high until melted. Start with 1 minute and stir. If needed, microwave a little longer and stir again. Repeat until melted.
Spread chocolate on top of the apricot-orange balls. Set them aside until the chocolate hardens.
After the chocolate is dry, place candies in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

You can also melt the chocolate on the stove on low in a thick-bottom pan.

If you have extra chocolate, spread it on the top of dried apricots. Let it dry and have a delicious treat!

The drying time for these candies at room temperature will very depending on how warm it is. The warmer it is the longer they will take to dry.

To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole, raw almonds on a cookie sheet and bake until they begin turning brown and have a nutty aroma, about 15 minutes.

If toasting sliced almonds, bake 5-10 minutes. Check them early and often as they can burn quickly.

The total number of servings in this recipe vary depending on the size of the candies.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries