Just when you thought chocolate dipped strawberries couldn’t get better, let me introduce chocolate dipped, gummy filled strawberries. A combination of antioxidant loaded dark chocolate, joint, bone and gut healing gelatin, and immunity boosting strawberries. Once complete you’ve got yourself a mouthwatering, nutritional powerhouse the entire family can’t resist.
I try to take advantage of the health benefits of gelatin by eating it in some form or another daily, so I’m always trying to come up with new ways to incorporate it. Dark chocolate has also turned into one of my pantry staples and strawberries have always been one of my all-time favorite fruits. I had just enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries at a family gathering, so when trying to come up with something to curb my sweet tooth the other night, the combination dawned on me.
The recipe can be broken down into three stages: strawberry prep, gummy making and gelling, and chocolate melting and dipping. It can get a little messy, but no one will care once they have a bite, and the hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to harden before you can have a taste. When preparing the strawberries, make sure you wash them thoroughly. Even though they are organic, I soak my strawberries in one part organic apple cider vinegar to ten parts water for a few minutes then rinse. Vinegar soaking kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface. Don’t worry the vinegar is too diluted to taste it. Once washed and rinsed it is important to level off the bottom of each strawberry so they can stand by themselves. Cut off the stems and core the center. If you have a handy dandy “stem gem” device like mine, you’re in luck. The process takes minutes.
Next make the strawberry gummy mixture and pour into the center of each strawberry. I recommend using a cup with a spout, such as a measuring cup. Once gelled, dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate and cool until hardened. I have no good method to do this other than dip each strawberry using my hand. Chocolate may get on your fingertips, something I welcome when I lick them clean at the end. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 container organic fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen organic strawberries
- 1/2 cup 100% pure coconut water
- 2 Tbl grass-finished unflavored gelatin
- 1-2 Tbl organic raw honey (optional)
- 1/2 bar 70-80% organic, dark chocolate
- 1/2 Tbl virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp organic vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash strawberries. Cut off each stem and core each center. Level each strawberry by cutting off their tips. This makes each strawberry level so it can stand vertically. Save strawberry tips and cored centers for gummy.
- Puree saved strawberry along with 1/2 cup frozen strawberries. I used a food processor, but a blender could also work. Depending on how much fresh strawberry you used, you may have to add more frozen strawberries to reach 1/2 cup puree.
- Combine 1/2 cup pureed strawberries to saucepan with coconut water and heat over medium heat until warm. Slowly add gelatin, continually stirring until all gelatin is dissolved and there are no clumps. Remove from heat and add honey. Once everything is combined, carefully pour the gummy mixture into the center of each strawberry and store in the refrigerator until gelled, approximately 30 minutes.
- While strawberries are gelling, break chocolate into chunks and slowly melt using a double-boiler. Stir in coconut oil and vanilla. Once strawberries are gelled, dip the tips of each strawberry into the melted chocolate. Store in the refrigerator until chocolate is hardened, approximately 30 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Author: DC Healthy Bites
ABOUT LAUREN
Lauren is the founder of DC Healthy Bites. She is passionate about REAL food and natural, clean living, and hopes to inspire others to make informed dietary choices and lifestyle changes to optimize their own personalized health. In her free time Lauren enjoys the outdoors, visiting the local farmer’s market each Saturday, and cooking nourishing REAL food meals.
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