There is nothing that puts a smile on my face like strawberry season. I usually buy a couple jin every time I make a trip to Sanyuanli Market and eat half fresh and freeze the other half for smoothies later in the summer. Though the price per jin (RMB12 at my local place) fluctuates throughout the season depending on the freshness and supply of the crop, the sweetness and size of these beauties are perfect for a morning snack or a decadent dessert. One of my favorite homemade treats, which is so impressive yet so easy to make, is chocolate covered strawberries.

Phoenix’s Favorite Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

10oz or 140gr of chocolate (chips or a bar, roughly chopped)

1 jin (roughly ½ kg or 1 pound) of strawberries

5 oz or 70gr of white chocolate (optional)

After washing the strawberries, pat them dry with a napkin or cloth—the chocolate will adhere to dry strawberries better. Heat the chocolate in a double boiler (if you don’t have an actually double boiler, which I don’t, put the chocolate in a metal or glass mixing bowl set atop a pot of simmering water). Do not attempt to microwave the chocolate, or heat it directly on the stove—it will burn. As the chocolate begins to melt, stir slowly until it is completely melted. Grip a strawberry by the stem, dip it in the chocolate and twist the berry until the body of the berry is uniformly covered; set the chocolate covered berry on a lightly greased cookie sheet (I used wax or parchment paper slicked with a little cooking spray). After you’ve dipped all the berries, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

If you want to get a little fancy for minimal extra work, before you chill the chocolate strawberries, add some easy decorations. Take the white chocolate and place it in a sealable plastic Ziploc-style bag and dip it into the simmering pot of water until the white chocolate is melted. Squeeze the melted white chocolate into one lower corner of the bag and cut a very small piece of the corner off to create a cheap pastry piping bag and drizzle white chocolate stripes over the chocolate covered strawberries and then chill the berries for at least 30 minutes.

I’ve made chocolate covered strawberries for holidays and birthdays and it is always impressive, despite the simple preparation. I’ve also tried the same technique with bananas, cookies and pretzels, all to stunning success.

We are slowly entering prime fruit season, as cherries and Beijing peaches will start to find their way to market with the warmer weather. Don’t miss out on nature’s bounty and make sure to try out this easy recipe to impress your foodie friends.