Chocolate Strawberry Ladybugs

I haven’t had this much fun with food in a long time! These fruit and chocolate “ladybugs” were not only the cutest thing, EVER, they were also really tasty. They can, of course, be made for just about any occasion (like a wednesday), but they are a huge hit for parties– Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Summer BBQs, or any kids’ party. Plus, they’re a lot healthier than cookies or chips!

The pictures are pretty self explanatory because this recipe is incredibly easy, but I have a few tips and tricks for this fun food project down below. There were a few things I would have done differently the second time.   

Idea from The Soccer Mom Blog 1. Before beginning, wash and dry your fruit thoroughly. Prep your “ladybugs” by cutting the stem off of each strawberry (I made a little V cut for the blueberry to rest), and then slice each one in half, length wise to form the bodies. 2. Place your strawberries on the plate or tray that you will be serving them on. Melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl according to the directions (I heated 3 squares of CandiQuik for about 1 minute 30 seconds). Stir and carefully pour the melted chocolate into a Ziplock bag (use a quart size bag if you have it because they are sturdier than the sandwich bags). Cut a TINY, TINY, TINY hole in the corner of the bag. If it is too large you will end up with a mess. I also waited a few minutes for the chocolate to harden a bit because it was too runny at first. 3. Now, get to decorating! Draw a line down the center of each strawberry, and several dots on each side. If your chocolate starts to harden, place it in a bowl full of hot water for a few seconds. 4. Attach the blueberry head, using your chocolate as glue. 5. Next, draw the antennas and legs. Just be sure that the ladybugs are on the plate you will be serving them on. The chocolate antennas and legs don’t stick to the fruit, it is just for presentation. 6. Now, gobble these babies up! They’re super fun for parties (Valentine’s Day, 4 of July, Summer BBQs, or any kids’ party). They’re also a cute and easy way to make snacking more fun. I added them to my daughter’s school lunch the next day with the leftovers. P.S. If you have leftover chocolate, don’t let it go to waste! You can dip just about anything in chocolate to make it better– fruit, cookies, graham crackers, nuts, etc. We had a lot of fun experimenting with the extra chocolate. :)