Chocolate-covered fruit

A booth selling caramel apples and chocolate-covered fruit at the Christkindlmarkt in Salzburg, Austria

Chocolate-covered fruits can be either fresh or dried. Fruits used include strawberries,[1] blueberries, cherries, pomegranates, kiwi fruit, pineapple, bananas, oranges,[2][3] dried apricots, raisins, citrus peels and other dried or candied fruits.[4] Fruit can be dipped in dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate, which are also used for decoration.[3] Nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, sprinkles, and other toppings are sometimes added.[5]

Preparation

External videos
video icon "Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries"

Fruits should be dipped in a chocolate containing more than 50% cocoa butter. A chocolate bar made for eating is more likely to have this level of cocoa butter than chocolate chips, which are meant to hold their shape when heated.[6] Tempering, a process of heating and cooling the chocolate, is required to achieve a smooth dipping consistency[7] and a crisply cracking shell. The tempering process first melts the fat crystals in cocoa butter, and then allows them to solidify again with a stable crystal formation that gives the coating its smooth finish.[8] Some confectioners may use a non-chocolate confectioner's coating which does require tempering.[9]

Fresh fruit should be carefully washed and dried ahead of time to ensure that the chocolate sticks. It is best to use fruit at room temperature: if it is too cold, surface moisture may prevent chocolate from sticking to the fruit.[6] Fresh fruits such as strawberries, which are 90% water, cannot be covered in chocolate more than a day or two in advance of eating, because their high water content means they will not keep well.[9]

History

In 1544, Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas and a delegation of Qʼeqchiʼ presented cocoa beans and chocolate to Philip II, later King of Spain. Drinking chocolate did not become popular in Spain until the late 1500s.[10][11] By the 1700s, it had spread to France and England as a drink of the wealthy.[12] Pre-industrial producers of wafers for use in making drinking chocolate included Fry & Sons of Bristol, founded in 1728, and the Steinhund or Steinhude factory in Germany, founded in 1765.[11]

Production of powdered cocoa and chocolate in bars were industrialized in the 1800s. In 1828, Coenraad van Houten developed a process for separating out cocoa powder, revolutionizing chocolate production.[11] Per capita intake of both chocolate and sugar rose dramatically as sweetened solid chocolate became a staple of confectionery and desserts.[11] In 1847, J.S. Fry & Sons of Bristol, England sold the first sweetened chocolate bar for eating.[13] In 1875 Daniel Peter developed the milk chocolate bar using concentrated milk invented by Henri Nestlé.[14]

Fruit cordials can be made far in advance using fruits such as cherries,[15] soaked in liqueur or sugar syrup, within a chocolate shell.[16] Chocolate-covered cherries may have been made in France as early as the 1700s.[17] Long-stalked tart griotte cherries, a speciality of the Franche-Comté region, were soaked with kirsch to preserve them. At some point they were covered in chocolate.[18] In the United States, Cella's began making chocolate cherries in 1864, the Brock Candy Company (later Brach's) in the 1930’s and Queen Anne's in 1948.[16]

Chocolate covered fruits are popular at European markets during the Christmas season.[19] Chocolate-covered dried fruits are sometimes included in boxed chocolates.[20] Chocolate covered dried fruits were a world-wide export of the California fruit industry as early as 1927.[21] In 2024-2025, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Mexico were the biggest exporters of dried fruit while the United States and Russia were the top importers.[22]

Strawberries dipped in chocolate are a popular gift for Valentine's Day in the United States.[23][24] Credit for inventing the chocolate-covered strawberry has been given to Lorraine Lorusso in the 1960s, who dipped strawberries in chocolate, and first sold them for Mother's Day in a gourmet food store in Chicago.[9]

Chocolate fondue with various fruits is eaten for dessert.[25] Strawberries and other fruits are also served for dipping into chocolate fountains, often on wooden skewers.[26]

December 16th has been referred to as "National Chocolate Covered Anything Day", promoting the use of chocolate to cover not only fruit, but all sort of other foods. Other chocolate-related "holidays" promoted by the United States National Confectioners Association range from National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day (January 3) to National Chocolate Covered Insects Day (October 14).[27][28]

Examples

Brands

Various brands make fruit covered chocolate candies including:

See also

References

  1. ^ At Home with the French Classics – Richard Grausman pp. 339-340.
  2. ^ Hsu, Claire (5 May 2025). "14 Fruits That Pair Perfectly With Chocolate". Chowhound. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b DiNicola, Caroline (29 January 2026). "22 Fruits To Dip In Chocolate Besides Strawberries". Tasting Table.
  4. ^ Pépin, Jacques (6 November 2012). Essential Pepin Desserts: 160 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food. HMH. ISBN 978-0-547-39401-5.
  5. ^ Arias, Tessa (17 January 2024). "Chocolate-Covered Strawberries". Handle the Heat. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b Allen, Molly (Feb 11, 2026). "What's the Best Type of Chocolate for Chocolate-Covered Strawberries? A Legendary French Pastry Chef Weighs In". Parade. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  7. ^ Sisson, A. J. (13 February 2026). "Evans Candy ramps up candy production for Valentine's Day with chocolate-covered strawberries". WGAL. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  8. ^ Kim, Eric (2024-02-09). "The Secret to Perfect Chocolate-Covered Strawberries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  9. ^ a b c Delong, Deanna (5 September 2006). How to Dry Foods: The Most Complete Guide to Drying Foods at Home. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-55788-497-8. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Who REALLY first brought chocolate to Europe? - Chocopedia - Cocoa Runners". Cocoa Runners.
  11. ^ a b c d Coe, Sophie D.; Coe, Michael D. (1996). The true history of chocolate. New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-01693-0.
  12. ^ Casey, Diana (2022). "Popularization of Chocolate in the 17th Century | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO.
  13. ^ SWEET HISTORY: Dorchester and the Chocolate Factory (PDF). The Bostonian Society. 2005.
  14. ^ Beckett, S. T. (2019). The Science of Chocolate. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-78801-235-5. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  15. ^ Losciale, Marisa (18 November 2025). "Queen Anne Cordials Revives Popular Holiday Flavors". Parade.
  16. ^ a b Prokop, Jessica (13 February 2012). "A History of Cherry Cordials for Valentine's Day". CandyFavorites. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Chocolate Covered Cherries Were Created In The 1700s". South Florida Reporter. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  18. ^ Davidson, Alan (2006-09-21). The Oxford Companion to Food. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-101825-1.
  19. ^ Ashley, Jack (19 October 2025). "How Different Countries Enjoy Chocolate During the Holidays". Dallmann Confections. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  20. ^ Gershenson, Gabriella; Stockton, Lesley; Sprankle, Haley (26 January 2026). "The Best Boxed Chocolates". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ^ American Vinegar Industry and Fruit Products Journal. Avi Publishing Company. 1927.
  22. ^ "Global Dry Fruit Export Markets: Top 10 Dry fruit Exporting Countries". The Dollar Business. 2025.
  23. ^ Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. February 2006. p. 22. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  24. ^ Alexander, Susan (February 6, 2019). "How much chocolate does Knoxville Chocolate Co. need for Valentine's Day? Try 2K pounds". knoxnews. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  25. ^ Morton, Caitlin (2022-02-10). "The Best Fondue Sets Under $120 for All Your Dipping Needs". Thrillist. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  26. ^ "Historical Society's Chocolate Sunday is Sweet Fun". Greenwich Free Press. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  27. ^ Mack, Lauren (19 November 2024). "National Chocolate Covered Anything Day Dec 16th 2024". Goldbelly. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  28. ^ Woellert, D. (2017). Cincinnati Candy: A Sweet History. American Palate. American Palate. pp. 66–70. ISBN 978-1-4671-3795-9. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  29. ^ Lacey, D. (2013). Classic Candy: America's Favorite Sweets, 1950–80. Shire Library USA (in Maltese). Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-7478-1365-1. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  30. ^ "Brand Spotlight: Marich Confectionery Co". Specialty Food Association. January 5, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  31. ^ The European Directory of Consumer Brands and Their Owners. Euromonitor PLC. 1992. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-86338-465-3. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate-covered_fruit