Chocolate Ganache Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate Ganache Dipped Strawberries

The difference between chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate ganache dipped strawberries is the texture. People looking for strawberries covered in a snappy chocolate shell want straight-up chocolate to cover the strawberries. But there are those who prefer a softer, silkier experience. For these people, there is ganache.

Ganache is chocolate melted with a bit of cream. The cream softens the chocolate, and, depending on how much cream is used, changes the texture from firm and snappy to soft and silky.

These chocolate ganache dipped strawberries set firm enough to pick up with your fingers, but are soft enough to bite through without the chocolate shattering or sliding off the strawberries. It won’t snap like tempered chocolate, but it will give you a firm bite if eaten straight out of the fridge. And at room temperature, the chocolate will be soft-set, creamy and smooth.

*For those who prefer the hard-set, snappy chocolate shell, click here or scroll down to the TIPS section.

For some helpful tips before you begin, click here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 to 20 medium (1 lb. or 453 g) strawberries
• 1 cup (168 g) dark or bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup (168 g) milk chocolate
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash, dry and chill the strawberries.

– Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
– Gently rinse the strawberries.

– Pat the strawberries dry with a paper towel and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
– Place the plate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to air dry and chill.

2. Warm the chocolates and heavy cream over a double boiler until melted and smooth.

– Stir until the chocolate is almost completely melted and smooth.
– Remove the bowl from over the saucepan and continue to stir the chocolate until completely smooth.

3. Dip the strawberries and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

• If there is not enough stem or leaves to hold onto, do your best using a skewer or toothpick.
• If the chocolate starts to cool and become too thick for dipping, just place it back over the saucepan of simmering water and stir until it loosens.

– Place the dipped strawberry on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, keeping the strawberries far apart enough to not touch each other.

4. Chill the dipped strawberries until the chocolate is set and hardened, about 30 minutes.

• After the chocolate has set, serve the strawberries chilled or at room temperature. (The chocolate will soften at room temperature as time passes.)

How to store:

These chocolate dipped strawberries will last as long as the berries last. But as the strawberries begin to release juices (usually after about 2 days or so), their appearance and texture may suffer a bit. Here are 3 ways to store your chocolate dipped strawberries:

• Keep the dipped strawberries on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet uncovered in the refrigerator.
• Place the dipped strawberries layered between sheets of parchment paper in an air-tight container.
• Freeze: Freeze on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, until hardened. Then place in Ziploc-type freezer bags for up to a month. Note: It’s best to eat these FROZEN. When they defrost, they will be quite wet.

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About this Recipe

Be sure to use sweet, ripe strawberries and quality chocolate!

TIPS:

Here are 4 helpful tips:

1) Make sure the strawberries are completely dry before dipping.

– If the strawberries have any moisture on them when you are dipping them in chocolate, it may cause your chocolate to seize or become grainy.

• So after rinsing your strawberries, pat them dry very well and allow them to air dry for at least 30 minutes.

2) Dip chilled strawberries.

– Chocolate will set faster on chilled strawberries and will be less likely to “puddle”.

3) For a “snappy” chocolate shell:

– If you prefer “snappy” chocolate covered strawberries, just omit the heavy cream. Simply melt the chocolate, dip the strawberries and refrigerate for about 5 to 15 minutes until set.

• If you are opting not to use any heavy cream, you can also melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir and then melt in 10-second bursts, stirring in-between bursts, until melted and smooth.

– Do you need to temper the chocolate? According to David Lebovitz, you can get around tempering simply by refrigerating after dipping in untempered chocolate until set.

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/tempering-choco/#:~:text=You%20can%20get%20around%20tempering,and%20it%20won’t%20bloom.

4) How to avoid condensation on the chocolate dipped strawberries:

– We keep our chocolate ganache dipped strawberries in the refrigerator and just eat them at will. But if you are planning to set them out for a gathering, you might worry about the strawberries collecting condensation and “sweating”, especially if your house is warm or humid. Here are some tips:

• Make the chocolate dipped strawberries the same day you are serving them if possible. Chill the dipped strawberries in the refrigerator just until fully set, then bring them back out to room temperature.
• If you have to make them the day before (but no earlier than that though, because the strawberries may start releasing juices), keep them refrigerated in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. Then bring out the container an hour or so before serving and bring to room temperature before opening the lid.
• Lastly, try running a fan over the cold chocolate covered strawberries to keep the air circulating around them. That may help prevent condensation from settling on the strawberries until they reach room temperature.

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