Dare to be different with a twist on tradition

How to make an edible centerpiece: the chocolate covered strawberry Christmas tree

November 11, 2012 – With your holiday shopping list too long and time too short, rest assured you can check one thing off your list – and it is dipped in chocolate. Everyone loves strawberries, but creating an edible centerpiece that is almost too good to eat will impress your dinner  guests!

SUPPLIES

53-58 strawberries

1 Styrofoam cone

8” cake board

1 sheet of Styrofoam

foil wrap

toothpicks

chocolate melts (white & dark chocolate)

mint leaves

Christmas sprinkles

white sprinkles

textured or patterned ribbon

wire

hot glue & gun

permanent marker

sandwich bag

wax paper

ornament topper

 

STEPS

1) Using a marker, draw a half circle on the foil to make it easier to wrap around the Styrofoam cone;

2) Cut out foil and hot glue it to the Styrofoam cone;

3) Glue cone to cakeboard;

4) Melt both the dark chocolate and white chocolate (follow directions; if it gets super thick and crumbly, you may have burned it);

5) While chocolate is melting, wash strawberries and pat dry. Dry strawberries completely so chocolate will stick;

6) Get your sheet of Styrofoam set with a piece of wax paper or foil;

7) Once chocolate is ready, put a toothpick in the top of the strawberry and dip it in the dark chocolate and add sprinkles. Fill the sandwich bag with melted white chocolate; cut off the corner of the bag to drizzle. Drizzle while chocolate is still “wet.” If it dries or hardens before your drizzle it, the drizzle might fall off when putting strawberries on the cone later;

8 ) Stick it in the sheet of Styrofoam until it sets or hardens;

9) Repeat the above until all but 8 strawberries are covered in dark chocolate;

10) Dip the remaining strawberries in white chocolate and white sprinkles;

11) Once the chocolate has hardened, you are ready to assemble;

12) Start at the bottom, pre-make the holes with another toothpick to make it easier to place and keep from the toothpick from coming through the strawberry;

13) Place one white strawberry first, then finish the row with the dark chocolate;

14) Place another white strawberry one space over to start creating a swirl effect;

15) Continue this until you get to the top;

16) Dip mint leaves in chocolate and tuck in between holes that may have been left after assembly- they give the strawberry tower a little whimsy;

17) Hot glue an ornament to the top;

18) Make 2 bows, add wire, pre-make holes in the top and hot glue them in place around the topper;

19) If you want to embellish the completed topper with more candy, just add melted chocolate to the back of it and hold in place until it sticks.

This a great focal point for any table, serves 18-25 people and you can mix things up by adding cakepops to the tree. So don’t be afraid to add a little whimsy to your table this holiday season!

QUICK TIPS

If your chocolate is too thick, add vegetable oil to make it a thinner consistency.

If you do not allow your strawberries to dry upside down on a toothpick on the Styrofoam, it will be flat on one side, and it is not very pretty on the tree.

By Blue Ribbon News special contributor Tracey Treadway, who shares design ideas in her “Party Like A Pro” guest column at BlueRibbonNews.com. Tracey owns Frosted Whimsy, a custom dessert catering company located at 102 E. Rusk in Rockwall. Email her at frostedwhimsy@yahoo.com or visit frostedwhimsy.com.