Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Who'd ever think that something so indulgent and sweet as a chocolate covered strawberry is GOOD for you? There's no need for anyone to miss out on chocolate this Valentine's Day, and if you want to pamper yourself or someone you love, this is the way to do it!  Imagine a pretty box filled with a dozen of these lovely little sweets...it would make quite an impression!

With just 80 calories, 4 grams fat, and 10 grams carbohydrates, one large chocolate covered strawberry is the perfect little package of home-made love.  Below you will find a recipe from Smart Balance, found while I was searching their site for healthy offerings. My doctor's instructions to replace butter with Smart Balance has made for a good transition. As a purist-baker, I am someone who had nothing but unsalted butter in her fridge for years. I am very pleasantly surprised to discover Smart Balance spread and cooking oil, and even happier to come upon very interesting recipes on their Web site. Here is a photo of the strawberries I dipped last night, followed by the very easy recipe! So go ahead, have a very sweet Valentine's Day!

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
(recipe from the Smart Balance Web site)

6 oz semisweet chocolate
1 tsp Smart Balance® Cooking Oil
12 large strawberries
sprinkles, optional

Rinse and dry the strawberries.

In a medium microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate on HIGH for 30 seconds.

Stir, add Smart Balance® Cooking Oil and repeat until all the chocolate is melted. (Do not overheat or the chocolate will become chunky and separated.)

Dip strawberries into the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to cool.

If desired, place sprinkles on top.

Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Per Serving:
Calories 80
Protein 1g
Carbohydrates 10g
Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 2g
Mono Fat 0g
Poly Fat 0g
Trans Fatty Acid 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Dietary Fiber 1g

Recipe Source:  http://www.smartbalance.com/recipes/chocolate-covered-strawberries?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pr--recipes#main-content

Chocolate Covered Strawberries for your Valentine!

I've made chocolate covered strawberries on different occasions, and people are just in awe of them.  It seems they have no idea how truly simple a treat these are to make.  Just make sure your strawberries aren't too ripe or they won't last long.  It's a good idea to make the strawberries within a day of serving them.

Chocolate covered strawberries are romantic.  They are big sellers, at a big price, for Valentine's Day.  They are not expensive if you make them yourself, and what a great impression you'll make, having taken the time to select the perfect berries and hand-dip them in melted chocolate.  It that doesn't indicate your love for someone special, I don't know what to tell you!

For lovely Liza's wedding a few years ago, chocolate covered strawberries took center stage. I made her beautiful cake, inspired by a photo in New York Magazine.  The magazine's version was a tiered and unfrosted carrot cake, the layers defined by a filling of sweet cream cheese.  Liza's cake was unfrosted as well, its vanilla layers filled with a chocolate buttercream.  Each tier was surrounded by an assortment of hand-dipped, chocolate-covered strawberries.  The variation of dark, milk, and white chocolate made for a beautifully adorned cake.

The Food Network has a very simple recipe and I've posted it here.  It doesn't have to be more complicated than this, so go buy some beautiful strawberries, some good chocolate (and use real white chocolate, not vanilla flavored morsels) and dip away!

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries. 

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved 

Recipe and Photo Credit:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_26022_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html