Chocolate Covered Strawberries

First, wash the strawberries. Place them on a clean towel and dry them individually with a paper towel. Let them sit on the towel to air dry until they are completely dry. It is best to dip room temperature strawberries.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.

Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. This should take about a minute, but the time will vary depending on your microwave. Make sure you don’t overheat the chocolate. If you want a softer chocolate, melt the coconut oil with the chocolate.

Hold the strawberry by the green leaves and slowly dip the fruit into the chocolate, covering the berry almost to the top. Lift and gently shake the excess chocolate off the berry. Place on the parchment paper or wax paper.

If you are going to dip the berries in any toppings, such as chopped nuts, coconut, or toffee bits, do it now before the chocolate sets up and then set on the parchment paper or wax paper.

If you want to drizzle with white chocolate or extra chocolate, make sure your chocolate is ready to go. Place the dipped strawberries on the parchment paper or wax paper. Dip a fork in the melted white chocolate or chocolate and drizzle over the dipped strawberries.

Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about one hour, until the chocolate firms. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the sheet in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chocolate is firm. Remove from the fridge and serve at room temperature.