Chocolate strawberries: a classic dessert many know and love. Although it feels like the combination has been around forever, they actually were not made until the 1960’s, when a woman named Lorraine Lorusso, who worked at a Chicago Stop ‘N Shop at the time, tempered a version of chocolate and dipped strawberries into it. This treat quickly became a classic, and is still seen as one of the best desserts for parties, being small, portable, and delicious. However, what if there was another chocolatey fruit that not only tasted better but was also easier to hold? That is where raspberries come in. 

Chocolate raspberries are not nearly as prolific as chocolate covered strawberries, but they are just as good, if not better than the ever-popular strawberries, and should be treated as such. Chocolate raspberries not only taste better; they also are less messy. With chocolate strawberries comes the classic problem of the chocolate melting on hands if it is placed too close to the stem. With chocolate raspberries, this problem is completely erased; the way raspberries are structured, they have a hollow center that is perfect for filling with chocolate. 

Plus, the amount needed to fill the raspberry is usually a good ratio of fruit to chocolate. Additionally, since raspberries are bite sized, the chocolate and fruit tastes distribute much more evenly and easily in the mouth compared to chocolate strawberries, where sometimes a bite has either too much chocolate or strawberry. 

Besides all that, chocolate raspberries just taste better than chocolate strawberries. The tartness of the raspberry compliments extremely sweet chocolates, like Hersheys, quite well, not only tasting better, but also saving hosts money, as these super sweet chocolates are often the cheapest ones. The reduction in cost and unique treats benefits both guests and hosts. Also, people who love trying chocolate who might not prefer the sweeter, cheaper kind of taste can enjoy it just as much because of how the raspberry balances out the sweetness of the chocolates usually put on fruits.

Adding to its benefits, raspberries are actually healthier than strawberries. Although that may not be the primary concern when it comes to eating them with chocolate, it is good information to know. Raspberries actually have more fiber, over three times as much as strawberries, and they have lower contents of sugar as well. 

However, chocolate raspberries are not perfect. One of the biggest problems with raspberries is that they deteriorate quickly. Raspberries can be kept for less time than strawberries before they rot; they just mold more easily than most other fruits, most likely due to the moisture content in supermarkets and the spores carried on raspberry canes. Strawberries do better, keeping for much longer on average than raspberries, meaning that raspberries are more expensive and last for less time compared to strawberries. But they do still last several days, and there are ways to keep raspberries mold-free for longer. 

Another issue is that chocolate raspberries are messier if using a chocolate fountain, as many parties do. They would still be less messy to eat, but they would be messier when applying chocolate, and using the stems to dip into the fountain like a strawberry would make the hole in the middle perfect for putting chocolate in obsolete.

One complaint when it comes to raspberries is usually that they are also a lot more expensive than strawberries; in the United States, the average price of strawberries per pound in 2022 was $1.37, whereas the average price of raspberries per pound at the same time was $8.42, an over seven dollar difference. However, despite how the cost difference looks in stores, strawberries typically only have 15 to 20 medium sized berries per pound whereas about 135 raspberries, on average, are in a pound, making individual raspberries, which are about 16 cents each, only cost about two cents more than the average strawberry, which is about 14 cents. The raspberries, because there are so many more of them, will then most likely get consumed slower than the strawberries would, meaning that party hosts might even have to spend more on more strawberries than they would if they had bought raspberries instead; yet another plus for hosts when it comes to buying raspberries versus strawberries for their chocolate-filled nights.

Both chocolate raspberries and chocolate strawberries have their flaws; but which overall is better? I would say chocolate raspberries. The cost is relatively the same, if not better quantity wise. They are healthier, and the fruity tanginess of the raspberries with the sweetness of chocolate just cannot be beat. Also, they are so much less messy to eat with freshly melted chocolate, one of the main problems with chocolate strawberries. 

Overall, despite its flaws, chocolate raspberries are just better than chocolate strawberries, and are definitely the superior party treat. Although chocolate strawberries are still great and may never lose their spot on the party table, hopefully more people will realize how good chocolate raspberries are and add them to their party dessert list.