Happy Fourth of July! + Revolutionary Berries

Happy Fourth of July, blog followers!  I love this holiday: food, drinks, friends and family, fireworks, parades, warm weather.  What's not to love?  I know I wrote that I was going to make those Oreo brownies next, but we're going a little out of order today.  J and I are going to a Fourth of July BBQ at a friend's house, and I wanted to bring something oh-so-patriotic.  That's a great thing about this blog.  Usually I'd just run to the store and grab some pre-made mini holiday cupcakes, but because I'm doing this blog, I really want to make as many things from scratch as possible.  Today's mission?  Revolutionary Berries, via Disney's Family Fun Recipe website.

THE MISSION: 

THE INGREDIENTS: 12 ounces of white chocolate chips, container of fresh large strawberries, blue sugar or edible glitter.

Only 3 ingredients?  How can you go wrong?  Luckily, when I went to the grocery store this morning they had the really, really large strawberries.  So instead of doing 35-45 small berries (like the recipe originally calls for) I decided to do 20 huge chocolate covered strawberries.  Because if you're gonna go, go all out.

Wash the strawberries and dry extremely well.  

This is really important.  For one, nobody wants to crunch down on dirt while they're enjoying a delicious chocolate-covered treat.  Secondly, if the berries are wet, the white chocolate won't stick as well.  Lastly, for any type of berry, excess water equals the development of mold and deterioration of the fruit itself.  I washed each one by hand and dried each with a paper towel.  Just another reason to do a few large berries rather than 45 small ones!

Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl according to the directions on the package.  


The bag I had recommended melting the chips for a full minute, mixing, and then melting in 15-second increments, checking each time.  You could also use a double-boiler but the microwave worked just fine.  And less dishes to wash!

Place the blue sugar in a bowl and create an assembly line of the strawberries, melted white chocolate, sugar, and a plate or pan covered in parchment paper.  Dip each strawberry in the melted chocolate - up to about 3/4 to the stem - and then dip the bottom half in the blue sugar.  Place the dipped strawberry on the parchment paper to harden.  


I found that it worked best to let any excess white chocolate drip off the berries before placing them in the sugar.  Then I did the same thing, shaking off any extra sugar.  Once I had them all dipped, I put them in the refrigerator and I'll grab them on the way to the party!


MISSION COMPLETE: 

Yum!  We're all in for a treat.  And J was happy because he got to lick the spatula.  When I was all done, of course.

DEBRIEFING: One of the things I really liked about this recipe is that there were no leftovers.  I hate when I have a recipe and it calls for something like '1 tablespoon of cream cheese' and then I have a whole container - minus that one tablespoon - in my fridge afterward.  I don't eat cream cheese (which I why I'm using this example) so it's a complete waste.  This recipe was great because I used up everything: all the berries, all the chocolate, and all the sugar.  Just perfect.

It was quick and easy and so cute.  It's nice to show up to a party with something you put some thought into, too.  Making holiday-themed food is just fun!  And for those of you with kids, this is a perfect nearly mess-free treat to make together.

I bought jambalaya stuff for dinner tonight, so expect another post either later today or tomorrow.

Happy Fourth!  Now go enjoy the sunshine!

Cheers,
Rachel