Vodka Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries

If you haven’t been able to tell, I have a bit of sweet tooth. And by a bit, I mean…massive. A great sweet treat to whip up in a hurry is chocolate covered strawberries. They are great to take to parties and gatherings, give as a gift to friends, or just to enjoy on your own.  I have always wanted to experiment with alcohol infused strawberries because I have seen countless recipes for them over the years, and thought they would be delicious. I wanted to make something for my friend Bonnie’s going away party (she is leaving us to go to Seoul, South Korea to student teach!) and this was the perfect thing since Bonnie loves strawberries…and vodka.

So how does one infuse alcohol into strawberries? One option would be to use a syringe and needle to literally inject the alcohol into the strawberry. Seeing that I do not have those lying around my apartment, I opted to buy a cheap marinade injector. The one I bought came with two “needle” sizes, and the smaller one was a good fit for an average sized strawberry. The injector operates just as a syringe and needle, so once it soaked up the alcohol, I injected the vodka into the strawberries, and PRESTO….I had alcoholic strawberries. Awesome.

Vodka Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1 lb (16 ounces) fresh strawberries

vodka* (as much as you want…I suppose!)

chocolate flavored almond bark**

¼ cup white chocolate chips

1 – 2 teaspoons shortening

marinade injector

*I used about ¾ teaspoon – 1 teaspoon per strawberry. I wanted the vodka to add flavor but not be overpowering.

** You can substitute semisweet chocolate chips and shortening

First things first, make sure to thoroughly clean the strawberries and make sure they are dry.

Then, inject each strawberry with the desired amount of vodka. If you are opting to add a larger amount of vodka to each strawberry, beware that the alcohol will come seeping out of the pores and make a bit of a mess.

After the infusion, I put the strawberries in the freezer for about 30 minutes to give them a nice firm texture.

Melt your chocolate flavored almond bark.  You want to make sure that it is melted enough so it will coat the strawberries nicely. It should be sort of thin and shiny.

Dip the berries in the chocolate and let set for about 10 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate chips and add the shortening. The addition of shortening to the chocolate chips allows the chocolate to set up better while cooling.

Dress up the strawberries with pretty white swirls, or any other designs that you prefer!

These strawberries were absolutely delicious. They were a big hit at the party, and more importantly, Bonnie liked them! I think next time I may play around with different flavored liqueurs and possibly add a bit more to each strawberry to give it a healthy punch.

Dessert spread for the party. Cinnamon swirl cake balls blog soon to come!

Happy Weekend!

Danielle