EASY VALENTINE’S CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES W/ SEA SALT + CRUSHED PISTACHIOS

Make these easy and elegant Valentine's chocolate covered strawberries with hints of sea salt and pistachio for a simple decadent treat! Serve at Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays, or any occasion that calls for a sweet and easy chocolatey homemade treat like this!

1. Baking sheet - for resting strawberries
2. Small Bowls - for toppings / melting chocolate
3. Candy dipping tool - optional for dipping berries / or fork
4. 1 pack Fresh Strawberries
5. 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
6. 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
7. Coarse Sea Salt - for sprinkling on/garnishing
8. 1 tbsp Finely Chopped - Roasted Pistachios (or Sprinkles or Coconut Flakes) For dipping, if desired

1. Wash and completely dry your strawberries then line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Set little bowls filled with the toppings you would like to use such as coconut flakes or sprinkles. ( I used about a tablespoon of coarse sea salt, and finely chopped pistachios which I sprinkle on with my fingers later on.)

1. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips plus coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and melt together in 15 second intervals. Stirring between intervals to combine. When there are no lumps and chocolate is melted through, it should run freely from your spoon and you'll know it's done.

1. Starting one by one, grab each berry by the top green leaves and gently dip in the melted chocolate turning and swirling to coat all the way around each berry.
2. When finished dipping, hold each one up over the bowl for a few seconds to let excess drip off or swipe it against the edge of the bowl to remove excess quickly.
3. Optional: If you would like, at this point you can dip the coated berry into the toppings you set up earlier and then place on the parchment or finish with a swirl design >> instructions to follow ahead.

1. Set each one on your parchment-lined baking sheet. When finished dipping, set the entire baking sheet of strawberries in the refrigerator to cool so the chocolate can set, about 20 minutes.
2. If doing a little swirl design over the top, melt another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips along with another 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil following the same directions as above.
3. Now remove the cooled, dipped berries from the fridge which should already have their first layer of chocolate completely set. Dip a spoon into your newly melted chocolate and drizzle it over the chilled berries in a brisk zig-zag motion to create swipes or swirls of chocolate.

1. Immediately grab pinches of sea salt and crushed/chopped pistachio and sprinkle on to the wet parts of the berry. Do this a few at a time, if desired. Set back in the fridge to chill for another 20 minutes then enjoy!
2. Store any remaining strawberries in the fridge and keep chilled at all times. Enjoy for up to 2 or maybe 3 days, depending on the freshness of your berries.

Serve these chocolate strawberries at Valentine’s Day or gift these in a little box as a sweet homemade Mother’s Day or Father’s Day Treat!

Dress them for any occasion! Sprinkle the chocolate coated strawberries with fun pastel sprinkles to make cute Easter or birthday chocolate treats…

Dip them in white chocolate instead and drizzle with melted orange chocolate coins to make spookylicious Halloween berries!

They are just too tasty and too much fun to save for one holiday… Make an excuse to eat them all the time!