Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Strawberry Ladybugs

Abbey came home with a library book about fairies the other day. It's a really cute book filled with stories, crafts, and even a few recipes. She brought it to me yesterday morning, flipped to pages 30-31, and told me she wanted to make Strawberry Ladybugs.

I didn't have the two main ingredients on hand--strawberries & chocolate--but that was quickly remedied with a trip to the grocery store (which was on my errand list anyway). 

Will spent the afternoon with a friend which gave me the perfect opportunity to make these sweet treats with the girls.

Aren't they adorable???
SO easy too.

Here are the instructions in case you want to make some too!

Strawberry Ladybugs

You will need:
Large strawberries (I used 1 lb of small to medium berries)
A bar of chocolate (I bought a 4.4oz Hershey bar and used 3/4 of it)
Waxed Paper
Small, clean paintbrush
One large and one small heat-proof bowl

1. Wash and hull strawberries. Cut them in half and lay flat side down on a sheet of waxed paper.

2. Break the chocolate into a small bowl. Place the small bowl inside the larger bowl and ask an adult to pour boiling water in between the two, halfway up the side. Let sit for five minutes and then carefully remove the small bowl. Stir the chocolate with a spoon until smooth. (Or you could just microwave it).

3. Dip the tip of each berry into the chocolate to make the ladybug's head. Lay flat side down on waxed paper to dry.

4. Use the paintbrush to paint on chocolate wings and spots. Allow the chocolate to set.

5. Arrange on pretty plate and share with friends!



*We tried making chocolate rose leaves by dipping the shiny side of clean rose leaves into the melted chocolate. We put them in the freezer to harden, then peeled the leaves off. SO neat! You can see one of our leaves in the pic below. And please don't think for a minute that was my idea. It was in the tips section of the recipe.


My family said they were delicious. I wouldn't know because I didn't eat one. NOT a chocolate fan. And yes, I know that I'm weird.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Your ladybugs look almost as sweet as your little ladies.

What a fun project. I might have to try that with The Girl....of course she despises strawberries (go figure?)

Happy Wednesday! I hope today is warmer for you!

Puva said...

Sounds like a good snack. Thanks for the idea (:

Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt said...

So cute! Even if I weren't a chocolate person, I wouldn't have been able to resist just by the simple fact of them sitting under my nose!

Tiffani said...

where was this when I had a bazillion strawberries a couple of weeks ago??!!

JuJu would LOVE this!

I think your girls are just so adorable and Sarah has the brightest, sweetest smile in every picture I see of her!

What fun time you had w/ them!

Carpool Queen said...

These would be cute for a brunchy thing. If I had time and a clean house.

leigh said...

super cute. And your girls just look so proud of themselves. I love it. It's so nice coming to your blog.

Stephanie Kay said...

Very cute! And I'm sure very yummy!! I love books with fun activity ideas included in them.

Amber said...

You just can't go wrong with strawberries and chocolate. And adding precious sweet girly girls just makes it that much better!!! :)

FUN STUFF!

Gretchen said...

I have a friend who calls her daughters her little ladybugs. That's what your sweet girls remind me of. Very, very tasty. You're so one of the cool moms.

Trish said...

Cute!

I'm not a chocolate person either, BUT chocolate and strawberries are so delish togehter, I would have not been able to resist a couple.

Bummer thing is we can't get good strawberries here......I'm going to WA in a couple of weeks and hope to get there just in time for the Strawberry festival, where I just might consume my weight in fresh strawberries!

Jennifer said...

These do look yummy! I like the leaf pattern too. Very cool!

Holly said...

Shrinky dinks curled a bit, but the kids love 'em! Thanks!

As for the ladybugs, our Kylie had a really bad infestation of them in her bedroom in TX when she was four. I have a feeling, we'll have to come up with something more butterfly-ish
:0)

IdahoAngie said...

Way cool! You can also do this with Almond Bark (chocolate). Which hardens a lot nicer then a regular chocolate bar. But you have to melt it either in a melting pot for fondue or in a double boiler. You get the same results though! I love, love, love, the leaf idea!

Emily said...

Those are darling and look yummy!

You know what doesn't sound yummy? When you mentioned spinach today, I though "Oh, I'd have to puree it for Miles!" *GAG* Pureed spinach. But hey, it worked for Popeye, right?

:)

Angie @ Flibbertigibberish said...

Well of course Emma, my strawberry girl AND my ladybug girl would love this! We'll have to do this tomorrow. Strawberries for CHEAP at King Soopers this week!

Angie said...

Fun! I want to do this with my Abby. And yummy too. Sorry you don't like chocolate. Wish I didn't.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. Your girls are getting so tall!

Christi @ Writing the Waves said...

Nothing...NOTHING is better than strawberries with chocolate! :)
Wish I had been there to help eat them!

Barb said...

Absolutely adorable, Mer. Almost as adorable as those two happy little faces. :-)

Leigh Ann said...

What a cute IDEA! I wish I did not like chocolate!