13 Easy Ways To Take Chocolate-Covered Strawberries To The Next Level

Is there a handcrafted sweet that represents a holiday better than chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day? From the vibrant red hues peeking out from beneath a shell of rich coating to the inherent heart shape of the fruit itself, it's a token of affection that conveys romance even in its simplest form. And in that simple form, all the recipe requires are fresh strawberries and melted chocolate, two items that are readily available at retail grocers — particularly come early February, but any time of the year, really. But just because chocolate covered strawberries are one of Valentine's Day's most familiar indulgences doesn't mean they have to be a basic treat. In fact, the Day of Love is a perfect opportunity to introduce new style to your chocolate covered strawberry situation.

Maybe the biggest mistake you're making with your chocolate covered strawberries is not taking the possibilities to the max! By taking cues from gourmet shops and influencer ingenuity, you can find easy hacks for adding fantastic flavor and visual pizzazz to your handcrafted berry confections. Whether you're whipping up a batch to adorn a Galentine's Day party table or making a dozen to impress your sweetheart, here are some easy yet effective ways to make your chocolate covered strawberries even sweeter.

Similar to cannoli, a strawberry is the perfect vessel for holding a sweetened ricotta filling. The flavor is akin to cheesecake, which provides a blank canvas for adding other elements that take your simple chocolate dipped strawberries into gourmet territory. The fine texture and smoothness of ricotta makes it easy to drop a spoonful into a berry with its top removed, though the more prepared confectioners can load up a piping bag with a simple round or star tip to add extra flair to their finished treats.

Adding extracts like almond, orange, or lemon lets you create an array of ricotta-stuffed berries from a single batch of the filling. Simply separate your finished cream into a few bowls and add a drop or two of flavoring to taste. You can also sprinkle in mini chocolate chips and add crushed pistachios to the exterior to replicate an authentic bakery-style cannoli. And since this technique calls for a fair amount of space inside your strawberry, be sure to shop for larger fruit so you have enough room for a generous amount of your luscious filling to fit.

If a shell of luxurious chocolate isn't enough to bejewel your coated strawberries, maybe a coating of crisp toffee bits can seal the deal. The taste and texture bring new dimensions to the smooth surface, adding visual interest in the form of familiar candy crunch that's sure to entice anyone lucky enough to partake. It's like recreating an elegant candy combination in chocolate covered berry form, with all the best parts on display.

Crushing toffee bars is the quickest way to achieve a crumb-sized coating, but beware: The chocolate from the candy bar might make it difficult to create clean-looking berries. Sidestep the issue by shopping for toffee-only nibs in the baking section of your grocery store or online. Amazon offers eight-ounce bags of Heath Bits O' Brickle Toffee bits if you can't find them in your area. The package provides crumbles of crunchy, buttery toffee without the usual chocolate sheath. Pour them in a bowl and use a spoon to sprinkle them over your chocolate-dipped strawberry as you turn it to get coverage. This will allow you to control the application without smearing the chocolate, resulting in a more professional-looking treat.

A boozy chocolate covered strawberry is the perfect grown-up goodie for a sweetheart celebration that calls for something slightly more spirited. You can use any spirit you like, but rum is a perfect partner for the sweet, juicy nature of strawberries that replicates tropical drinks given a chocolate spin thanks to the dipped coating. With the array of flavored rums available, you can tap into a vast variety of tasting notes to give extra oomph to your Valentine dessert tray. Think about adding vanilla, coconut, or pineapple to add a blast of sunshine to the occasion. For a zero-proof version, consider making a simple syrup using equal parts sugar and water with a few drops of rum flavoring instead of using liquor.

These bougie berries will be super juicy thanks to the rum infusion, and the extra liquid might make it challenging to store your chocolate covered strawberries properly without the juices seeping through the coating. Be prepared to keep your finished goodies nice and cold in the fridge until you're ready to serve them. You may also want to surround them with ice in their final presentation to keep them firm while they're on display.

Confectioners with an eye on healthier options can give their chocolate dipped strawberries a yogurt sheath to bring in a more mindful coating. Creating yogurt-dipped strawberries lets you combine a dark chocolate shell with a swath of Greek yogurt to achieve a tangy-sweet mix with even more melt-in-the-mouth goodness than chocolate alone. You can use any flavor of Greek yogurt you prefer to roll your chocolate-coated strawberries in for a final coat of decadence. You can also prepare yogurt-only dipped strawberries and add a swirl of melted chocolate to lower the sugar content.

Because the yogurt is prone to softening as it warms, you'll want to keep these berries chilled until just before presenting or serving. If you use a parchment-lined sheet pan that's been stashed in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to your decorating session, you can make sure the yogurt begins chilling immediately and slide the finished berries directly into the fridge or freezer.

Give your finished berries a black-tie twist by transforming the dipped delight into a dapper tuxedo. This tricky hack is a fun one to try with teen confectioners eager to help out in the kitchen. It's a creative introduction to the art of the chocolate-covered strawberries, and the results will charm the socks off of everyone who lays eyes on them. This design works best with larger strawberries that still have their stems, providing a handle for holding onto while you work.

To create your spiffy berries, prepare bowls of melted white and dark or milk chocolate for dipping. Begin by thoroughly coating your strawberries in the white chocolate and allow them to chill until set. Then, dip each side of your white-coated berries in the darker chocolate to form the sides of the jacket, leaving a V shape of white showing for the shirt. Using a piping bag, pipe a brown bowtie and three buttons down the front, and voilà — you have a crowd of well-dressed berries to bestow upon your valentine. Bonus points if presenting these debonair delights to coincide with a romantic wedding proposal.

One of the easiest accoutrements to introduce deluxe flavor to your chocolate-covered strawberry situation is the crushed cookie. This glitzy add-on may begin as a store-bought item, but once you reduce it to crumbs, it becomes a fanciful flavoring that adds layers of personality to the surface of your finished berries. It's a fun way to get your younger chefs in on the fun of tricking out dipped berries with add-ons that match their tastes.

The best part is that no cookie flavor is off-limits, whether you grind up Oreos for a cookies-and-cream creation, crush chocolate chip cookies in a Ziploc bag for a Chips Ahoy sensation, or blitz shortbread bits in a blender for an elegant buttery coating. Whatever cookies you prefer can become a handy upgrade that adds style and flavor to your creations. If you're aiming for an ultra-gourmet offering, you can bake up your favorite recipe and use them too. Just consider that some homemade cookies don't crumble as well as store-bought do, so you may need to give them a little extra time in the oven to make sure they're crispy enough. And if you opt for chocolate chips in your cookies, go for the minis; they'll fit better on your strawberry's surface.

The strawberry colada possibilities of rolling your chocolate-coated berries in shredded coconut adds tropical flair to your Valentine's Day plans. It also gives them a Mounds Bar personality that your friends and family will find familiar. Having a texture that contrasts with the fleshy berry and smooth chocolate also gives the finished confections a more interesting mouthfeel than the usual chocolate covered strawberry offers — a step in the direction of high-end creations that take every aspect into consideration.

This may be the easiest chocolate dipped strawberry glow-up around; all it takes is a bag of desiccated (dried) coconut in a bowl that you spoon over your berry before the coating sets. Since the chocolate and berry will both be plenty sweet, you can choose sweetened or unsweetened coconut to control the flavor. Do a simple taste test beforehand with the chocolate-coconut blend to make sure the result will be what you're looking for. When shopping for your coconut, make sure you pick up shredded instead of flakes, which are larger and won't rest as nicely on your strawberries.

Adding crushed nuts to the surface of your chocolate coated strawberries goes deeper than just working in complimentary flavors and fun textures. The overall profile of the finished product also replicates the joy of a PB&J, but in a more thoughtful format. The warm flavor merging with the brightness of the berry and the richness of the chocolate conjures a winning combination that gives the completed creations a bit of a rustic look.

Any nut you choose will be a perfect match, from pistachios and almonds to peanuts and pecans. You'll find a terrific selection in the snack section of your grocery store, though the baking and produce sections are also likely to carry a variety to choose from. No matter which nuts you opt for, roasted nuts will be a better choice than raw, which you may find as part of the baking supplies. If you happen to have raw nuts on hand, simply heat them in the toaster oven for a few minutes to get them roasted before chopping or crushing them into coating-sized bits.

The rich hazelnut-chocolate combination of Nutella makes this decadent spread a natural choice for stuffing your strawberries before giving them their chocolate dip. Making Nutella-stuffed strawberries is as simple as slicing off the tops of your berries and scooping a daub of the spread into the cavity. You may need to clear out a little space with a paring knife in order for the Nutella to fit. Just be careful not to make the walls of the berry too thin to avoid a messy breakthrough.

Since Nutella is more of a milk-based chocolate, this filling works best with a darker chocolate coating. You can even go for a triple chocolate deluxe berry by blinging the surface with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to pull all the tastes and textures together. A finishing coat of crushed shortbread or butter cookies also makes a comfort food contrast that brings toasty notes to the mix that are sure to remind your Valentine of their favorite toasted Nutella sandwich.

How about a chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake that captures the classic flavors of a timeless dessert? It all comes together without a springform pan, thanks to an outer coating of softened cream cheese with graham cracker crumbs that recreate the elegant flavor blend of a real strawberry cheesecake. This combination is a zesty way to layer elements in a way that's creative in both design and confection, a bite-size indulgence with outsize spirit.

To create your spread, add confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract to your cream cheese to sweeten it up before spreading it on top of your chocolate-coated strawberries. Then, roll the finished berries in crushed graham crackers until covered to your satisfaction. If you feel they need a little more punch, give them a drizzle of melted chocolate or caramel sauce in a zig-zag marbled pattern with a fork or piping bag as a stylish finish touch.

If chocolate topping on strawberries is fantastic, then adding mini-M&M's to the coating is bound to make them even more incredible! This is a fantastic way to cover chocolate-coated strawberries for your younger Valentine treat lover and makes a great project for kids to join in on. They'll have a great time creating deluxe chocolate-coated strawberries they can give to their friends, family members, and teachers — though they should definitely save some to enjoy themselves.

It may be tempting to dump a bag of mini M&M's from the baking section or Amazon in a bowl to roll your chocolate-coated strawberries in them. But the melted chocolate is likely to soften the M&M's and clump the candies in the bowl, making it more difficult to cover more than a few berries. Use small spoons instead to scoop up the candies and sprinkle them over the chocolate on the berry, turning as you go to make sure you get complete coverage. Set them on a parchment-lined sheet pan or cutting board and stick them in the fridge straight away so the chocolate sets before the M&M's have a chance to slide off.

Go straight for PB&J nostalgia by filling your strawberries with peanut or almond butter prior to dipping them in your chosen chocolate coating. Whether you prefer creamy or crunchy, the fun surprise waiting at the center of your finished berries will delight your unexpecting recipient. Remember to keep these berries separated from the rest of the bunch to make sure they don't get scooped up by anyone with nut allergies. You can even mark them with a special drizzle design for a visual cue that calls them out.

Though the natural stir-and-serve peanut butter may be a healthier choice, it's also likely to be too thin to stay put once you fill your berries. Whichever peanut butter brand you like best, go for the more stabilized version so you'll have a paste-like consistency that's easier to work with. The juice from the berry is likely to thin it down to a perfect smoothness once it's resting inside. Then, go wild with exterior bedazzling with chocolate chips, dry-roasted peanuts, or chocolate sprinkles to make these tasty berries the focal point of your display.

A finished chocolate coated strawberry becomes a sublime jewel of a Valentine treat when given a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt. It's one of the most effective ways to bring extra zhuzh to your chocolate strawberry game, and it doesn't take a certificate from culinary school to accomplish. It's also a popular and familiar flavor that party guests and Valentine treat receivers are sure to recognize at first glance.

There's no need to get fancy and brew up homemade caramel for the occasion. You can grab a jar of caramel ice cream topping in the freezer section of the grocery store or shop for a more upscale version on Amazon. These are perfect for applying a swirl or swipe using a piping bag or fork once your chocolate coating has solidified. Then, apply a sprinkle of sea salt to add glitz and flavor. The sauce will be soft for a while after application, so be sure to get your berries in the fridge after making your drizzle.