Chocolate-Covered Berries

~ Lori ~ Leave a comment
ChocBerries6I’ve been on a major chocolate kick (when am I not!!), but this particular time has gotten me into all things chocolate-covered.  Every Christmas my mother-in-law would take a bunch of raisins, put them in mini cupcake liners, and cover them with chocolate…..pure bliss!  Recently I’ve been going through Pinterest and pinning all kinds of chocolate-related stuff, then the thought hit me about the recent strawberry purchase and feeding the tot blueberries, raspberries and blackberries….let’s combine these things….OMG!!….Chocolate cover all of these things!!!ChocBerries3ChocBerries2
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I took the idea from my mother-in-law, but with berries. It’s so simple to do, and so dangerous to any chocolate craze!!
Now the taste buds feel better, and you also get your healthy antioxidants too!
Happy Baking!
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Chocolate-Covered Berries

1 package strawberries (1 lb.), washed & drained, then cut up into small pieces
1 package blackberries (6 oz.), washed & drained, cut each one in half
1 package raspberries (6 oz.), washed & drained, cut each one in half
1/2 pint blueberries, washed & drained
1 large package of semi-sweet chocolate chips OR 1 package of chocolate bark*
Mini cupcake liners

 

Line a mini muffin pan with liners, set aside.
Wash and cut your fruit.  Place each type of fruit in individual bowls.
For the chocolate, place about half the bag of chocolate chips into a microwave-safe dish.  Microwave until chocolate is melted and smooth, but be sure to stir every 30-40 seconds to help with melting and to prevent the chocolate from getting dry and crispy.
Once chocolate is melted, pour about  1 teaspoon of chocolate into the bottom of each mini-cupcake liner.  Place two or three pieces of strawberries into the chocolate, then place one each of the blackberry and raspberry. Then top with 2 or 3 blueberries.  Don’t overload each liner.
Take a heaping teaspoon of melted chocolate and pour over top of berries, allowing the chocolate to ooze right through to the bottom.
Allow time for chocolate to set, or if you are in a hurry, place the mini muffin pan into the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.
Once set, remove chocolate-covered berries from mini muffin pan, and enjoy!!
*If using chocolate bark, place two or three blocks into a microwave-safe dish and microwave for about a minute, depending on how many blocks you melt.  Be sure to stir every 40 seconds!

White Chip Strawberry Cookies

~ Lori ~ Leave a comment
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Hello and welcome to The Sweet Obsessions!!  Finally, after 4 months of falling asleep on the couch after putting a toddler to bed when I should really be figuring out this world called WordPress, I’ve come around to posting my very first blog post!! **Applause, applause**
I’m very happy about beginning my food blog journey, so hop on board and come along for the ride!  Who knows where this blog will take us!  Just so you all know, I’m still trying to iron out some things with the site, so please bear with me.  Eventually, this blog site will be prettier once I get more advanced at it!  I also included a travel page so you’ll see where I was, what I was doing and what I ate.  It’s empty at the moment, but summertime is just around the corner, so I’ll be going places!!
I’ve been scratching my head trying to decide on which recipe should be the very first one to post. I came to the decision to post about the last cookie I made.  Recently a local high school was having a marching band fundraiser selling strawberries.  If I had to choose one fruit to eat on a deserted island it’d be the strawberry.  I looooooove strawberries!  My mother-in-law and I split a whole flat, and waited patiently for them  (Well, at least one of us did!).  During the month-long, agonizing wait I was figuring out what to make out of them that is not just strawberry shortcakes.  I thought trying them out in cookies, along with some white chocolate chips. Yeah, that sounds good!!

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Then the strawberries came, and they were so sweet and beautiful-looking that my daughter and I ended up eating half of half a flat!!  I got cookies to make…Oops!!  Luckily I reserved a pint of them, so all was right with the world.  The cookies are very moist, but a bit sticky. Refrigerating or freezing them is the best way to keep them cool or to firm up a bit. Putting them in the cookie jar is a definite no-no! Don’t ask how long they can last in the fridge, because they last for a couple days in my house!
Happy Baking!

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WHITE CHIP STRAWBERRY COOKIES
1 pint of strawberries, washed and cut in quarters
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks of softened margarine
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of raspberry emulsion extract*
2 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag white chocolate chips
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. For the strawberries, wash and drain well, then cut off the stems and cut in quarters.   Place in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag; add 1/4 cup sugar. Zip and shake the bag to evenly distribute the sugar. Refrigerate for 30 – 45 minutes.
For the rest, mix margarine and sugars together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add eggs and emulsion extract; blend well. In a large bowl, mix flour and baking soda. Mix gradually with wet ingredients. Add white chocolate chips and strawberries until mixed through. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks. Refrigerate or freeze for storage.
*Since I had no strawberry flavoring or extract I grabbed for the raspberry emulsion. It smells great, and gave the cookies a nice, sutle flavor, and the taste goes well with the strawberries. Emulsion is stronger than extract, so a small amount is all you need. You can find emulsion at local crafts stores; I bought mine at Michael’s.