Made these for my mon's wedding and thought I would do some experimenting using keto chocolate. The chocolate is similar but there it is definitely a little more finicky than regular high quality chocolate. There are many tips and tricks I've learned working wit all the different keto chocolate brands, so I thought I'd share them with anyone who may want to make a fancy looking treat for Valentines Day or any special day or a Tuesday.
I have found in the 4 years of working with different brands of keto products that not all are created equal. And unfortunately the case is usually that the more expensive brands actually yield a better outcome a lot of the time. You can use the less expensive brands and it will still taste good, it just may be a little more difficult to work with. Choczero chips are very soft even when not melted so no surprise when meted and harden again they are soft. You can't make ganache like you normally would with other chips, it ends up to runny. Baked believe keto chips are decent but I'm not a huge fan of the white chocolate chips, they are insanely sweet, and that's saying something coming from me. Lily's is the easiest to work with and tastes most like regular chocolate to me anyways. This all is my opinion of course, I think choczero has a strange flavor along with the strange soft texture.
If you want really nice chocolate covered strawberries, definitely invest in the long stem perfect looking strawberries, they make the best tuxedo strawberries. That is what I used for my mom's wedding so that I could guarantee I would have 12 perfect strawberries. Try to use medium sized, nicely shaped and unbruised strawberries as they won't weep liquid as much as soft ones and will look the best when dipped in chocolate.
MOM'S WEDDING STRAWBERRIES
The easiest way to melt keto chocolate that isn't tempered for you like the non-keto chocolate melts you can buy is to do it low and slow. You can do this in your microwave at 50% power, starting with 30 seconds then stirring then stopping at 15 then 10 and stirring as it begins to get more melted and warmer. The trick being to not go to high in temp. and stopping when there are chips left to cool the chocolate down to the ideal dipping temp. around 86-87 degrees. If all the chips are melted but it is still too hot you need to add chips and stir until the chips are melted and the temp. is down to 86-87 degrees. I try to not get the chocolate over 95 degrees You can also do it over a double boiler on the stove.
Keto chocolate definitely needs some kind of oil to help smooth and thin it out. You can use coconut oil, vegetable shortening, or cocoa butter. The amount is up to you and the different varieties of keto chocolate used, the more you add the thinner the coating will be on the strawberries.
The last tip is one I had to do a few experiments to figure out the best option. During strawberry season the strawberries are often out on a shelf not refrigerated. So I tested dipping them at room temp. then refrigerating, and dipping them then keeping out at room temp. Then I refrigerated the strawberries then dipped them and kept some out at room temp. and refrigerated some to figure out which way kept them from weeping the most. I needed them to not weep for a few hours since they were going to be out on my mom's wedding cake for a few hours. The best I found was to refrigerate them, dip them then keep them in the fridge until about 30 minutes to an hour before you are serving them.
The piping of the bow and buttons can be done by any piping bag with a tiny tip but I make little parchment paper bags to get nice precise detail. Definitely watch the video on how to make them because explaining would drive me crazy to figure out.
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With the amounts below you will have extra chocolate and it is always easier to dip with extra melted chocolate, so feel free melt more, just weigh what it left over so you can figure out macros
To make 8 strawberries:
4 oz./Heaping half cup of keto white chocolate chips
4 oz./Heaping half cup of keto milk/dark or semi sweet chips
1-3 tsp. Coconut Oil
Instructions:
Start by melting the white chips with 1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. of coconut oil at 50% power in the microwave checking every thirty seconds
Have a pan with parchment ready to put the strawberries onto once dipped and a piping bag ready
Once the chips start melting check and stir every 15 seconds
Once the chocolate is half melted check and stir every 10 seconds
Check the temperature once the chips are almost gone, if it is over 90 degrees just keep stirring until all the chips are melted
If they all melt and it isn't down to around 87 degrees add a few chips and stir until it is down to the right temp. add coconut oil as needed to make a nice flowing chocolate
With the bowl tipped to pool the chocolate to one side and holding the strawberry by the stem dip it fully into the chocolate to coat all of the red
Dip into the chocolate several times to pull the excess chocolate off of the strawberry then lay onto a piece of parchment paper to set, dip all eight then melt the darker chocolate
Repeat as before with the white chocolate, you may need more or less coconut oil depending on the brand and variety
Once at around 87 degrees tilt the bowl and dip one side of the strawberry then the other side to create a jacket with a triangle of white "shirt" on the front of the strawberry
Then fill the piping bag with the remaining dark chocolate and pipe a bowtie and 3-5 buttons depending on the size of the strawberry
Let chill in the fridge uncovered until set, can transfer them into an airtight container or a wrapped plate to serve whenever needed
Will last 3-7 days depending on the health of the strawberry used
Macros all depend on the size of the strawberry and what kind of chocolates you use. I would estimate it would be about 1-2 carbs per chocolate covered keto strawberry.
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