Be My Valentine

by Shauna Sever — February 11, 2008

Chocolate dipped strawberries are sweet, sexy, and decadent, and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, they'll be on everyone's must-have list. But romance aside, they're low in fat and calories compared with other desserts, and you can satisfy your sweet tooth while getting some antioxidants from dark or bittersweet chocolate and vitamins and fiber from the fruit. But why not do something a little different for your Valentine this year? By stuffing the berries with chunks of chocolate and quickly roasting them in a hot oven, the berries yield sweet juice and somehow taste even more like themselves. And who would argue with an oozing chocolate center in anything? A dab of freshly whipped cream makes these berries extra special, but all on their own they are oh, my good.

Roasted Chocolate Stuffed Strawberries

The extra-large dipping strawberries work especially well for this recipe, but if you can't find them, just look for the largest and most uniformly-sized berries you can find, and shorten the roasting time by a few minutes to keep smaller berries from falling apart.

12 strawberries, extra large
2 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits

Freshly whipped cream for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a rimmed sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Wash the berries and pat them dry. Slice the tops off of the berries and trim a bit off of the bottoms so that the berries can stand on their own on the baking sheet. Use the small end of a melon baller or a small sharp knife to carve out a well in the center of each berry. Fill each berry with small bits of chopped chocolate. Stand the berries on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the berries are juicy and slightly softened and the chocolate has melted. If the berries have yielded enough juice, spoon it over the berries right before serving with whipped cream, if desired.