These healthy chocolate covered strawberries are made with coconut oil, cocoa powder, and naturally sweetened with honey. Dairy free, gluten free, and paleo, they are the perfect addition to a romantic Valentine's Day dinner or as an elegant dinner party dessert offering.
Please note that some of my blog posts here at Little Home in the Making may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my Disclaimer for more information.
With Valentin'es Day on it's way, you may be wondering how you can have a fun and romantic day at home. While many couples love to dine out on Valentine's Day, it's not something that is possible (or desirable) for everyone. So why not enjoy a beautiful night at home?
These healthy chocolate covered strawberries will help you do just that! Since they are made with coconut oil and cocoa, they are a gluten free, dairy free, and paleo option for those who may need to avoid certain ingredients for whatever reason.
Making Healthy Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Coconut Oil
While you can definitely find great brands of chocolate that are dairy free and gluten free, it's hard to find a naturally sweetened chocolate. This version is made with coconut oil, cocoa powder, and honey, making for a naturally sweetened and delicious chocolate covered strawberry that also happens to be Paleo friendly.
Coconut oil chocolate has been a favorite snack of mine, and is a great way to get coconut oil into your diet while giving your sweet tooth the fix that it craves.
Ingredients
- Strawberries: Check for strawberries that are fully flushed and without any soft or sunken spots or mold.
- Coconut oil: I like to use virgin coconut oil because that is what I keep on hand, but refined coconut oil would be a good fit if you do not like a strong coconut taste.
- Cocoa powder: You can use any brand of cocoa powder that you like, but make sure it is unsweetened. Cacao will also work for this recipe.
- Honey: Raw honey is a good fit, but you can use any type of honey you have on hand. You can also use maple syrup. While honey is much sweeter, you will need to use the same amount of maple syrup to avoid making a chocolate that does not set up.
- Pantry staples: Like vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt (I like Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
How to Make Healthy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Start off by preparing your strawberries. Wash them and gently pat them dry. Place them back into the fridge to chill. This will ensure that the coconut oil chocolate hardens more quickly, and therefore more smoothly.
Then, line a quarter size or half size baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Preparing the Coconut Oil Chocolate
Gently melt the coconut oil and place in a medium sized bowl.
Add the honey to the melted coconut oil and whisk to combine as much as you can. It will not be smooth, but will blend easier once the other ingredients are added.
Add the cocoa powder to the coconut oil and honey mixture.
Whisk well until completely smooth, and then add in the salt and vanilla extract. Whisk again.
Once the chocolate is smooth and well combined, transfer your coconut oil chocolate to the fridge to chill.
Chill for 10-15 minutes, making sure to stir the chocolate every 5 minutes until thickened, but still thin enough for dipping.
Dipping the Strawberries in Chocolate
Holding the leaves of each strawberry, dip them into the chocolate mixture and rotate to coat.
Allow any excess chocolate to drip off of your chocolate covered strawberry, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat until all of the strawberries are coated. If your coating begins to harden, reheat it briefly in the microwave or in a double boiler until the chocolate is thin enough for dipping, but not completely liquid.
Once all of your strawberries are coated, place them in the fridge to chill completely.
Storage
- Once your healthy chocolate covered strawberries are completely chilled and the chocolate has hardened, transfer them to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Chocolate covered strawberries are best when eaten within a few hours of preparation, but you can go as long as 24 hours. After that, the berries start to release juices and the chocolate begins to sweat and it just not pleasant.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your strawberries are well chilled. When the cold strawberries get coated in the coconut oil chocolate, the chocolate chills quickly and sets up more smoothly.
- Stir your chocolate several times as it chills. This will help the mixture blend more evenly, and prevent hardened chocolate in some areas and runny chocolate in other areas.
- Leave your strawberries refrigerated until ready to serve. Coconut oil melts easily in a warm room, so your chocolate will only stay firm while refrigerated.
- If you don't like the strong coconut taste that comes with virgin coconut oil, you can use refined coconut oil
- OR butter flavored coconut oil.
What Can I Do with Leftover Coconut Oil Chocolate?
If you have leftover coconut oil chocolate from making your healthy chocolate covered strawberries, you can make delicious coconut oil chocolate by adding it to silicone muffin liners or chocolate molds. I like to add in some favorite mix-ins like flaked coconut or chopped nuts.
Once you have poured the chocolate into a mold, place the mold in the fridge to firm up. Break the chocolate into smaller pieces and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. This makes a great sweet snack any time you're craving chocolate!
Wine and Chocolate Covered Strawberries
If you're looking for pairing your chocolate covered strawberries with a delicious wine for a romantic evening, here are a few pairings that work well:
- Merlot
- Zinfandel
- Champagne
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Ruby Port
- Lambrusco
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While nutritionally cacao powder is a better option, cocoa powder fits within the bounds of paleo and can be used for special treats.
Honey is a natural sweetener and therefore a good fit for those eating paleo. As with all sweeteners, it should be used sparingly and is a great choice for treats.
Yes you can, as long as you take a few things into consideration. Honey is sweeter than maple syrup, so it requires less to sweeten your foods than if you were to use maple syrup. Honey is a thick liquid, while maple syrup is relatively thin, so you cannot simply use more maple syrup if that will throw off the consistency of your end result. To substitute ¼ cup of honey, use approximately ⅓ cup of maple syrup and increase any absorbing ingredients (like coconut or all purpose flour) by a few tablespoons to account for the difference.
More Valentine's Day Recipes
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Sourdough Baked Pancake
- Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Walnuts
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib) - Recipe Tin Eats
- Pan Seared New York Strip Steak - Olivia's Cuisine
Healthy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
These healthy chocolate covered strawberries are made with coconut oil and honey for a dairy free, gluten free, and Paleo option for a decadent Valentine's Day dessert.
Ingredients
- 18 fresh strawberries, washed and dried gently
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and gently dry your strawberries. Place them in the fridge to chill while you make the coconut oil chocolate coating.
- Prepare a quarter or half size sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- Gently melt the coconut oil over low heat.
- Once the coconut oil is melted add it to a medium sized bowl and add in the honey. Whisk the honey to dissolve as much of it as possible into the oil. The honey and coconut oil won't blend completely, but don't worry about that until later on.
- Add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract to the coconut oil and honey mixture.
- Whisk vigorously to combine.
- Place your bowl to chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to encourage the coconut oil chocolate to thicken evenly.
- Once the chocolate has thickened enough that it is dippable, but not firm, remove it from the fridge.
- Holding them by the leaves, dip each chilled strawberry into the coconut oil chocolate, turning it to coat.
- Allow the excess chocolate to drip off, and place the dipped strawberry on the lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining strawberries, until all of the strawberries have been coated.
- Place the strawberries in the fridge to chill completely. Once the chocolate is fully hardened, transfer the strawberries to an airtight container for storage. Eat within 24 hours, although they are best if eaten within a few hours of being prepared.
Notes
Leftover chocolate: Once your chocolate covered strawberries have been coated, you will have leftover chocolate. You can turn this into healthy coconut oil chocolate simply by transferring it to silicone muffin liners OR a silicone muffin pan. Mix in fillings like flaked coconut and chopped nuts if desired.
Using maple syrup: If you'd like to substitute maple syrup for honey, feel free to do so! Just note that your chocolate will be slightly thinner and not as sweet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 3 StrawberriesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is an estimate only.
Leave a Reply