Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Celebrate America with these easy to make Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries! It's what the Founding Fathers would have wanted.

Why We Love It

If you've been reading my posts for a while, then you already know that I'm a HUGE chocolate lover. In fact, my whole house is head over heels about anything chocolate. It's definitely the most requested ingredient I get when I make desserts, and I know if I don't make Creamy Marshmallow Fudge again soon, I will have some serious answering to do!

Sometimes I like to keep it simple by dipping things in chocolate. Yup, you read that right: simple. It's actually pretty darn easy to do. I realized this about 10 years ago when I got tired of spending a ridiculous amount of money on Chocolate Covered Strawberries from the grocery store (seriously, why are 4 of them now like $12?- sheesh!).

With just a few ingredients and a little bit of time (but not much), dipping things in chocolate is not only so much more economical, it's actually quite fun. Plus, you can totally make it your own because there really are no rules. I've dipped fruit and plenty of berries, but I've also coated potato chips, a variety of pretzels, gummy fish, gummy bears--and more in chocolate! Everything's better with chocolate, right?

These Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a summer favorite in our house. I like using vanilla flavored melting wafers for these so that the red, white and blue stars really pop. As George Washington once allegedly said, There's no better way to celebrate American independence than by eating Chocolate Dipped Strawberries! They were a thing back then, right? Well if not, I'm sure he celebrated by eating something sweet and tasty.

Why You'll Love It

The wonderful people at Ghirardelli have made melting chocolate easier than ever these days. They took what was already a tasty product and turned into something so easy to melt in the microwave. There are other melting wafers out there, but not all are created equal.

Gone are the days of mixing shortening with chocolate for smoothness (thankfully). You don't have to get Ghirardelli, but you should stick to a quality melting wafer. Do not use the chips which are intended for baked goods (then you might be melting with shortening)--they have a different consistency and won't work as well.

In order to make Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, you only need to buy 3 ingredients--that's it! This is a dip-dip process. You simply melt the wafers in your microwave, dip the berries in it, and then dip them again in sprinkles and chill them for an hour in the fridge! I was lucky to find pretty patriotic stars from a certain large, online retailer, but you can most likely find red, white and blue sprinkles from a certain large brick and mortar store.

My main advice with buying quality wafers and special sprinkles is to try to stock up on these items BEFORE the holiday or season. Good melting wafers and seasonal sprinkles are popular and tend to be sold out in stores--sometimes even more than 1 month ahead!

For more star spangled goodies, check out Patriotic Festive Fudge!

Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh, firm strawberries, washed and patted dry
• 1 (10 oz. bag) white vanilla flavored melting wafers
• 1 cup red, white and blue sprinkles

How to make Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

You'll want to gather the following equipment:

• large rimmed pan (lined with parchment/wax paper)
• microwaveable safe bowl
• small bowl
• stirring spoon
• measuring cup
• corn on the cob holders (not required, but makes dipping the berries easier)

Before starting:

• Line baking sheet with parchment/wax paper
• Wash and pat dry strawberries
• Push corn on the cob holders into tops of berries (optional)
• Place sprinkles in small bowl

Place wafers in microwaveable safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, but leave a little opening for venting. Microwave on the defrost setting for 30 seconds. Gently pull away part of plastic wrap and stir. Cover as before and return the bowl to the microwave only if needed. Heat for an additional 15 seconds and stir.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: I can't stress this enough...do not overheat these wafers! They will end up drying out and getting very sticky if you overdo it. I usually find that after following the above, all they need is a little stir. It's better to have a few lumps and clumps that you can stir to smooth than overdoing it in the microwave!

Set up your "dipping station" by placing the melted wafer bowl and the sprinkles bowl side by side. Have the large pan (lined with parchment paper) very close by.

Dip the berries, one at time, following these simple steps:

• Push each berry about halfway into the melted wafer bowl and rotate to coat
• Then immediately dip into sprinkles bowl (you need to do this step right away before the chocolate starts to set)
• Carefully place on prepared pan

Once finished, place the pan in your refrigerator for 1 hour, then enjoy!

Patriotic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Leftovers?

Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Enjoy within 3 days.