When I tell my small students that we are having a chocolate fondue party, they squeal with delight. If you’re looking for a fun, indoor activity for your nieces and nephews over their winter break, you can create your own chocolate extravaganza!

What’s wonderful about this dish is that it’s gluten-free and low allergen-so it’s perfect for large gatherings of kids where at least one child is likely to have food sensitivities. It’s also a nutritious treat full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

It’s also an easy activity to pull off without a lot of equipment. You can seat everyone at the kitchen table. The older kids can use a butter knife to slice kiwi, apples, and pears. The smaller kids can rinse off the strawberries and dry them – just make sure they are extremely dry otherwise the chocolate won’t adhere to them.

While they are prepping the ingredients, you can melt the chocolate (see instructions below). You can also use pretzels, graham crackers or raisins – if they are older and certain they are not allergic to nuts, they can also dip almonds. In honor of Christmas, I gave them green and red sprinkles to decorate with – but be forewarned that it can get a little messy!

In class, I melt the chocolate and then transfer it to small shallow bowls so that the kids won’t burn themselves. The chocolate won’t harden for at least fifteen minutes but if it does, just scoop it back into the pan and re-heat it. If you need to transport them for a holiday dinner, allow the chocolate to harden and then store them in a plastic container, separating each layer of treats with wax paper.

Here is a Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries recipe from my cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids – it gives detailed directions for each age group and you can easily use other more seasonal ingredients besides berries.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients
30 medium-sized strawberries
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated margarine
1 tablespoon corn syrup

KIDS 2 and up: Wash and dry the strawberries. Make sure that the berries are completely dry or the chocolate will not adhere to them. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

ADULTS: In the top of a double boiler that you’ve set over simmering water, stir the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove the chocolate from the heat but leave the water simmering in case the chocolate starts to harden and you need to re-heat it. If you’re worried about small kids touching a still-warm pan, you can transfer the chocolate to a cool dish.

KIDS 2 and up: Hold each strawberry by its stem and dip it ¾ of the way into the chocolate. Swirl it and shake off excess chocolate. Place the chocolate-dipped strawberry on the baking They can harden in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Cooking Tips:
-It’s best if the strawberries are at room temperature rather than cold.
-If you don’t have a double boiler (which is necessary since the chocolate will burn if put directly over heat), simply place a metal bowl on top of a saucepan or put a small saucepan inside another larger saucepan. Alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until it is melted.
-“Simmering” means a few small bubbles are barely breaking the surface.
-This recipe can be prepared up to 1-2 days before serving – just store the strawberries in the
refrigerator and remove 30 minutes before serving.

Kid Tips:
-If your kids want to create designs, melt some white chocolate, dip a spoon in, and swirl designs onto the chocolate-dipped strawberries. Or, they can dip the chocolate-dipped strawberries in sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour for hardening)
Yields: 30 strawberries

Recipe from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids by Julie Negrin © 2010

Published: December 22, 2010