Strawberry lovers, do I have a yummy Valentine's Day recipe for you? Let me show you how to make chocolate-covered strawberry teddy bears. This fun twist on a traditional chocolate-dipped strawberries recipe is super cute and oh, so sweet.
How much are you loving these sweet little chocolate strawberry teddy bears?
I had so much fun making these teddy bear strawberries to share with you. Once I started decorating, I couldn't stop. I made White Chocolate Panda Bear and Polar Bear Strawberries, and White Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Unicorns too.
These fun little desserts will make fun gifts or treats for Valentine's Day, a baby shower, a birthday party, or any day.
I hope you have fun making these cute bear-shaped treats too.
Ingredients
- pure milk chocolate or light cocoa candy melts - See notes below.
- round chocolate wafers - Use the wafers to create the bears' ears.
- strawberries - Big strawberries will work best for this project.
- candy eyes - I used large ½-inch candy eyes.
- M&M's - brown M&M's make the perfect noses for the bears.
Supplies
Some of the ingredients needed to make these chocolate strawberry teddy bears can be found on Amazon. I earn a small commission when you make a purchase using the links below at no extra cost to you.
1 LB. Merckens Coco Lite Co...Shop on Amazon
Wilton 12 oz. Light Cocoa C...Shop on Amazon
White And Black ½-Inch Ca...Shop on AmazonBest Chocolate for Dipping Strawberries?
These little chocolate treats are really simple to make using either pure milk chocolate and milk chocolate callets (wafers) or by using light cocoa candy melts and candy melt wafers.
Pure chocolate has a luxurious mouth feel and delicious flavor. It's made with cocoa butter which means it needs to be tempered in order for the chocolate to set properly.
If you choose to dip your strawberries in pure milk chocolate {like I did in this tutorial} then you will want to temper the chocolate for the best results. You can read all about working with chocolate and candy melts on my chocolate making tips page.
Simple Chocolate Tempering Method:
I’ve already gone into great detail on what is tempered chocolate and how to temper chocolate properly so click that link if you need those instructions. Here’s a quick recap:
- Chop ¾ of your chocolate into really fine pieces.
- Heat the chopped chocolate in the microwave on 50% power for 15-second increments, stirring after each, and allowing the chocolate to rest for a minute, then stirring again.
- Heat until almost all the chocolate is melted.
- Remove and continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted.
- Check the temperature of the chocolate.
- If it hasn't gone above 89 degrees then your chocolate will still be in temper and it's ready to use.
- If it has, then continue to heat the chocolate until the temperature reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Then add the remaining chunk of chocolate and stir continuously until the chocolate cools to 89-90 degrees F.
- Remove the chocolate chunk and test the temper of the chocolate by dipping the tip of a knife into the melted chocolate and setting it on your counter. If the chocolate hardens within a few minutes and is shiny the chocolate is tempered and ready to work with.
- If needed you can return the chocolate to the microwave and heat it at 50% power for 5 seconds to keep it warm.
Can I use Candy Melts or almond bark to coat my strawberries?
Yes, you can. Candy Melts, almond bark, melting wafers, and Candi Quik are all compound chocolates, also known as confectionery coating. They do not contain cocoa butter. Instead, they are made with vegetable fat like palm kernel oil. They do not need to be tempered. You can simply melt them to about 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. The candy will harden and have a nice shine to it.
How to melt candy melts?
- Pour 16 ounces of candy melt wafers into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat on high power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until about 75% melted.
- Allow the residual heat of the melted chocolate to melt the remaining wafers as you stir until completely melted.
Now that you know the basics, I am excited to show you how to decorate these cute Teddy Bear chocolate-covered strawberries.
RELATED: See all my Valentine’s Day Recipe Ideas, here!
Instructions
- Pour the chocolate into a small bowl or glass.
- Dip one strawberry into the chocolate then set it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Take a fork and press it into the chocolate, then pull up and away quickly creating spikes.
- Repeat this process until the entire chocolate strawberry looks furry.
- Immediately press two candy eyes and an M&M nose onto the chocolate.
- Dip the cut edge of two chocolate wafers in chocolate and attach them to either side of the top of the strawberry creating the bear's ears.
- Let the strawberry air dry.
- Repeat dipping all 16 bears.
- If desired, brush a second layer of chocolate over the bottom of each strawberry to seal in the berry.
Video
Watch the video to see the step-by-step process for decorating these chocolate-dipped strawberry teddy bears.
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Recipe Tips & Tricks
If you have never dipped chocolate strawberries, below are a few notes about the process.
Cleaning strawberries to be dipped in chocolate...
- Get a paper towel wet then ring it out so it’s just damp. Wipe the strawberries clean then pat dry with another paper towel. This will keep your strawberries fresher longer and keep them from seeping (losing their liquid) too much.
Eat the chocolate strawberries today!
- Chocolate-covered strawberries are best eaten the day they are made.
- If you plan to keep the strawberries longer, then it’s a good idea to double-dip the bottom of the berry to avoid the juice from the berry leaking out the bottom.
- You can leave your berries at room temperature after dipping if you plan to eat them within 24 hours.
Decorating tips:
- Dip one strawberry at a time, and allow the chocolate to thicken just enough that you can create the spikes of fur using a fork.
- Immediately add the candy eyes and M&M nose.
- Dip the cut edge of the chocolate wafers in chocolate and then attach them to the top of the strawberry then make them look furry too.
Time-Saving Ideas:
- Grab a family member or friend to help out!
- One of you can dip and create the fur while the other adds the decorations.
- By doing this you won't have to continually clean your hands between dipping and decorating.
Issues You Might Encounter:
- Aack, I dropped a strawberry into the chocolate!
- Use a fork to lift it out then just save that chocolate-covered strawberry for a snack.
- Help the chocolate on my chocolate-dipped strawberry has cracked!
- Just cover the crack with a bit more chocolate using a food-use-only paintbrush or a toothpick. Then create more spikes and you won't even notice the crack.
- My chocolate strawberries have juice oozing out the bottom.
- See the tips below to avoid this issue and learn how to fix it if it does happen.
How to Avoid Strawberry Sweat:
- If you refrigerate the chocolate-covered strawberries know that condensation (tiny beads of sweat) will form on the chocolate unless they are stored properly. To avoid this follow the storage instructions below.
How to Store Chocolate Covered Strawberries?
If you’ve been wondering how to store store chocolate-covered strawberries in the refrigerator then I’ve got you covered. Here’s what you do.
Step 1. Place a paper towel in the bottom of a corrugated cardboard box. Sprinkle baking soda on top of the first paper towel then set another paper towel on top.
Step 2. Place your strawberries on top of the clean paper towel, close the box lid and place in the refrigerator.
Step 3. At least 1 hour before you plan to plate, package, or serve the chocolate coated berries set the closed box on the counter and let them come up to room temperature while in the box.
Step 4. Remove the berries from the box and enjoy.
Taking these steps will help keep the chocolate coating on the strawberries dryer than any other storage method.
Now that you know the details about making chocolate dipped strawberries, watch the video above to see how to turn them into these adorably cute chocolate strawberry bears.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries FAQ
I’ve gotten lots of questions over the years about dipping strawberries into chocolate so I've listed below some of the answers to the most common questions.
What is the best chocolate for dipping strawberries?
- Pure melted and tempered dark, milk, or white chocolate but confectionery coating (Candy Melts, Merkens, Ghirardelli Melting Wafers, Candi Quik, and Almond Bark) also works as well.
Can you make chocolate-covered strawberries with chocolate syrup?
- Only if you plan to dip the strawberry in the chocolate syrup then eat it immediately.
- Chocolate syrup will not harden or even set up so your only option is to dip and pop the chocolate-covered strawberry in your mouth immediately.
- Strawberries taste amazing dipped in chocolate ganache which can be made thin or thick.
- Ganache made with a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to heavy whipping cream will firm up a bit but will still remain soft.
- If you dip your strawberries in chocolate ganache, set them on a non-stick tin foil-lined baking sheet then allow them to dry at room temperature until you are able to peel them off the tray. This may take several hours.
- I used this method to make Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bunnies. They are furry too!
Can you make chocolate-covered strawberries using the microwave?
- Yes, you can melt and temper chocolate or melt confectionery coating (candy melts) using the microwave.
- See the melting instructions above.
Can chocolate-covered strawberries be made ahead of time?
- You can make chocolate-dipped strawberries up to 24 hours in advance.
Can chocolate-covered strawberries be frozen?
- No! Chocolate-covered strawberries should not be frozen.
- When strawberries thaw they seep moisture which will ruin a chocolate-coated strawberry.
Can chocolate-covered strawberries stay out overnight?
- Yes, strawberries that have been wiped clean and dipped in chocolate can sit out at room temperature for about 24 hours, perhaps longer depending on the freshness of the berries.
How long can chocolate-covered strawberries last?
- This will depend on the freshness of your strawberries.
- If you dip a strawberry that was freshly picked then they might last up to several days.
- Most grocery store berries will be kept for about 24 hours once dipped in chocolate.
Why do chocolate-covered strawberries leak?
- Strawberries dipped in chocolate often leak because as the chocolate dries it contracts around the strawberry putting slight pressure on the berry, thereby squeezing out some of its juice.
- Also if strawberries are washed and not thoroughly dried they will also leak.
Related Recipes
See more bear- Valentine’s Day Recipe Ideas, here!
Other strawberry recipes you’ll love:
Recipe
This post was originally published in January 2018 and was updated in January 2019.
- 16 ounces melted and tempered pure milk chocolate or melted light cocoa candy melts*
- 16 strawberries, wiped clean and patted dry
- 32 (½ inch) candy eyes
- 16 brown M&M's
- 32 milk chocolate callets or light cocoa candy melts wafers, cut into ¾ moons.
- * See the Chocolate Making Tips page for melting/tempering instructions.
-
Pour the chocolate into a small bowl or glass.
-
Dip one strawberry into the chocolate then set it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
-
Take a fork and press it into the chocolate, then pull up and away quickly creating spikes.
-
Repeat this process until the entire chocolate strawberry looks furry.
-
Immediate press two candy eyes and an M&M nose onto the chocolate.
-
Dip the cut edge of two chocolate wafers in chocolate and attach them to either side of the top of the strawberry creating the bear's ears.
-
Let the strawberry air dry.
-
Repeat dipping all 16 bears.
-
If desired, brush a second layer of chocolate over the bottom of each strawberry to seal in the berry.
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Nancy
Those strawberry bears are beyond cute!! The Grands will Love them!! SOoooo clever and creative. Thanks Beth!!!
Beth
Awe, thanks Nancy. I do hope your grandkids enjoy them. 🙂
Natasha
These are the cutest little desserts for Valentine's Day!! These would be adorable for the kids classroom activity or for a gift for the teachers.
Beth
Thanks Natasha. They would make a great gift for teachers for Valentine's Day. 🙂
Sommer
I'm going to make these for my loved ones this Valentine's Day!
Beth
Have fun!
Carol
They are adorable and I bet they taste divine~
Beth
Thanks Carol. They are really delicious!
Louise Jackson
Love all of these.
Aimee Shugarman
These little bears are adorable. Putting my girls to work this weekend to make a batch!
Beth
Thanks Aimee! I hope the girls have fun making their bears. 🙂
Shelby
These are super adorable! I love how easy they are also and the fact you don't have to worry about a perfectly smooth covered berry. lol I wondered how you did the ears, the video is super helpful! I can't wait to make these for my granddaughter!!
Beth
Thanks Shelby. I love that the "fur" covers up any imperfections in the chocolate coating on the strawberries. The messier they are the cuter they are. I'm glad you found the video helpful. I felt it was best to show how to make them that way. I hope your granddaughter loves her special Valentine's Day treats. 🙂
Toni
My kids loved these SO much! Thanks for the thorough instructions!
Beth
I'm so happy to hear your kids enjoyed these cute little bears.
The Partiologist
So Beary Cute, I love them!
Beth
🙂 Thanks!
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog
Pretty cool idea! So easy and fun to make 🙂
The Partiologist
BEARY BEARY cute!
Beth
🙂
lisa@hooplapalooza
Beth! these are AAAAAAWWWWEEEE-SOME!!! i can bearly contain muself! LOL :>D
Beth
Lisa, you always make me laugh! I'm so glad you like my strawberry bears. 🙂
gmail login
So cute! I want to try it now.
Beth
I hope you do! Have fun. 🙂