Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1. This needs to be made with cooking / baking chocolate, not eating chocolate (doesn't melt smoothly).

In Australia, we have chocolate buttons which are larger than chocolate chips. So if using buttons (or breaking up a block of cooking chocolate), go by weight rather than cup sizes (because 1 cup of chocolate buttons / melts weighs less than 1 cup of chocolate chips).

I used dark chocolate but you can use white or milk chocolate - whatever you prefer!

2. The addition of a bit of oil serves 2 purposes: 1) it makes the chocolate once set a bit shiner so it looks better; and 2) the chocolate sets a bit softer so when you bite into the strawberry, the chocolate doesn't shatter and slide off.

3. In Australia, strawberries are typically sold in punnet containers which are 250g / 8oz per punnet. This recipe makes enough chocolate to coat just under 500g/1 lb of strawberries.

4. After 12 hours, the strawberries start to sweat and soften (i.e. juicier). Still lovely, but after 1 1/2 days / 36 hours, I find they are too juicy for my taste. I think they are best served on the day of making them.

5. Nutrition per strawberry, assuming 25 strawberries in total (about 3.5 - 4 cm long, decent size).