Shiny New Year Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This post may contain affiliate links. If you happen to be familiar with the Rankin-Bass holiday special titled ‘Rudolph’s Shiny New Year’… well, pretend for a moment that you are not. Pretend you have never, ever heard of it. I don’t want thoughts of that ridiculous, vintage children’s special to tarnish your impression of these fun, delicious, sparkling Shiny New Year Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Delicious and elegant to set out alongside glasses of champagne and wine, this festive New Year’s Eve version will a twinkle to the ball drop festivities. Fresh strawberries get a dark chocolate dip and then a sprinkle of edible glitter and dust over the surface.

They are easy to prepare and will be the highlight of your party table! Look for edible glitter (brands include Wilton, Luster Dust, and more) online or at local craft stores like Michael’s or AC Moore.

Note: I do enjoy several of those Rankin-Bass specials and recall the characters fondly as part of childhood holiday time! Herbie the Dentist Elf. Rudolph and Clarice. The Heat Miser. Burgermeister Meisterburger! But ‘Rudolph’s Shiny New Year’ is, in my opinion, just horrendous! (Many thanks to cousin Lars for introducing us to this movie to our family via VHS copy eons ago!) Have you seen it? What do you think?

Shiny New Year Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Sweet

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Author: Nancy Mock

The classic, elegant dessert chocolate covered strawberries get a little bling! The sparkle and shine make these perfect for ringing in the new year! Note: It is best to prepare these the day of your event, perhaps in the morning if you are planning an evening party. I do not recommend refrigerating your dipped strawberries: the berries can begin to get slimy, and the chocolate is prone to grayish streaks when it goes in and out of temperature extremes. Dip your strawberries, give them several hours to set in a cool place, place them on a serving tray and bring them out for your party.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound whole fresh strawberries, rinsed and allowed to dry, leaves removed
• 12 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
• 4-inch lollipop sticks cut in half to make 2-inch sticks
• Wilton Silver Pearl Dust
• Silver sanding sugar, like CK Sanding Glitter or Wilton Silver Sanding Sugar
• Silver and gold thin ribbon

Instructions

1. Line a large casserole dish with waxed paper.
2. Push a 2-inch lollipop stick into the top of each of the strawberries. Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler and place the dark chocolate chips and vegetable shortening in the top. (You can also place a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water.) Heat the water to a simmer, and stir the chocolate chips until they are smooth and melted.
3. Dip the strawberries one at a time into the chocolate, as deep as you can while holding onto the stick in the top. Allow excess chocolate to drip off and then set each dipped strawberry into the waxed paper-lined dish. Dip 4 or 5 strawberries and then pause while the chocolate is still wet to sprinkle the strawberries first with a bit of the silver pearl dust, and then with some of the silver sanding sugar. Continue this way until all of the strawberries are dipped and glittered.
4. Loosely cover the dish with plastic wrap, being careful not to disturb the surfaces of the strawberries. Allow the strawberries to set for several hours in a cool place away from the heat of the kitchen, but do not refrigerate them.
5. Shortly before serving the strawberries, cut short lengths of silver and gold ribbon and curl the ends. Tie ribbon around the sticks on each strawberry. Transfer the berries to a platter or festive dish and set them out for your guests. (Preferably in a spot where a little light will hit them and set the glitter sparkling!)

Recipe Notes

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