Strawberry Santa Hats

Strawberry Santa Hats

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh, ripe but not too ripe strawberries
• 8 ounces of quality white chocolate
• 1 cup raw ground coconut flakes (you can purchase them this way or process/ground larger flakes on your own in seconds).

Directions:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your strawberries. To be certain they were dry I used a paper towel on each berry, including the green tops before dipping.  You will want them to room temperature before dipping.  About 20 minutes before dipping cut the green tops off of the berries.  Place cut side down on a paper towel to absorb some of the juice before dipping.
2. Melt your white chocolate according the package instructions.  You’ll want the chocolate to be hot enough that it is fully melted, but not so hot that it will shock the strawberries and cause them to ever so slightly ‘cook’ this will affect how long they last for.  Have a tray lined with wax paper ready to go along with your chocolate and ground coconut before starting.
3. Once everything is out you will want to move rather quickly to ensure you’re able to sprinkle with the coconut before the chocolate starts to set.  (The chocolate will harden faster than you might expect – in only a few minutes).  Using a spoon or small spatula place 1-2 table spoons (depending on the size of your berries) directly on the wax paper.  Then quickly push the cut end of the strawberry down into the white chocolate.
4. Dust with the ground coconut right away.  Then add a small dollop of white chocolate to the tops for a pompom and again dust with the coconut.  Let set up full then cover or transfer to an air tight container and store in the refrigerator.  Best when enjoyed the same day.