1. Rinse and dry strawberries well with a soft cloth. Line a baking sheet with wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place bowl of crushed candy canes right beside the baking sheet.

Melting the Chocolate

1. Melt chocolate either in microwave or on stovetop. To melt chocolate on the stovetop, place chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. If you do not have a double boiler, place a glass or metal bowl of chocolate over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir chocolate until melted (don't let any water from pot get into the chocolate as the water will cause it to clump and "seize", not melting properly).
2. To melt chocolate in the microwave, place chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate at medium (50%) power for 1 minute then stir and continue to microwave at medium (50%) power in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. The total time will depend on how much chocolate you are melting but should only be a couple minutes or less. Microwave white or milk chocolate at low (30%) power 1 minute then stir and continue to microwave at low (30%) power in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth (it's better to check the chocolate too often than to overcook it).

Dipping the Berries

1. Hold berries by their stem or calyx (green leaves) and dip in bowl of melted chocolate, swirling until coated as much as you like. Gently shake off excess chocolate. Immediately dip chocolate covered berry in crushed candy cane topping. Place berry on prepared baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining berries.
2. Place baking sheet of chocolate-covered berries in refrigerator to set for 15 to 30 minutes. If leaving berries in refrigerator longer than 1 hour, condensation may occur.
3. Chocolate-covered berries are best served the day they are made. Chocolate will hold up at room temperature for about 2 hours, depending on the temperature where they are being served. If you need to store overnight, do so in the refrigerator and let berries sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.