Weather: 21 degrees, clear and blue
What I’m listening to: For the First Time in Forever, Frozen Soundtrack
I began last week with a much-anticipated overnight trip to Anchorage – a little shopping, a movie, and some eating out, and hours of great conversation with amazing friends. Then, I returned home to kids out of school for parent-teacher conferences and a massive wind storm that put our power out for over 12 hours. When the power is out, that also means our well pump is out, which means no water either. Also, no heat. And, of course, no internet. These are all things of which I am very, very fond and I missed them terribly those 12ish hours. Oh, and I forgot to mention that there was a wedding this weekend and I was the wedding photographer. It was one crazy whirlwind of a week!
I have a soft spot in my heart for pretzels with strawberries. It began long ago when I first tried a dish called strawberry pretzel salad. It’s not really a salad at all, but rather a buttery pretzel crust, a layer of sweetened cream cheese mixed with good old-fashioned whipped topping, and a third layer of strawberries congealed into strawberry gelatin. I haven’t had it in years, but I still crave the interplay of textures and the salty-sweet crunch of that pretzel crust. This Pretzel-Dipped White Chocolate Covered Strawberry recipe is a sentimental nod to that dish.
The sweetness of the strawberries and the white chocolate is the perfect counterpart to the crushed pretzels. You get a classic Valentine’s Day treat made better with the addition of salt and texture. I find these covered strawberries even more addicting than the original version. This can also be done with milk or dark chocolate or a combination of all three.
For another great Valentine’s Day recipe idea, see my Strawberry Shortcake Scone recipe in Anchorage Daily News.
Pretzel-Dipped White Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Fresh strawberries covered in melted white chocolate then rolled in crushed pretzels. A salty, crunchy take on a classic.
Yields: 1 pound strawberries
- 6 ounces white chocolate
- 2 cups pretzels
- 1 pound strawberries, washed and well-dried
Place a saucepan with one-inch of water over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer. Turn heat down to low. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set it to rest on top of the saucepan. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth.
Add the pretzels to a food processor. Pulse until coarsely crushed (not fine). Pour the crushed pretzels into a bowl for dipping.
Have a sheet pan lined with wax paper standing by.
One at a time, hold the top of each strawberry and dip them into the melted chocolate until almost completely covered, allowing the excess to drizzle off. Then, immediately dip the strawberries into the crushed pretzels to coat. Place the finished strawberries onto a sheet pan lined with wax paper. Refrigerate the strawberries until the chocolate is completely set. Serve.
