– (25) whole, fresh strawberries – 12 ounces white candy melts (or callets) – 12 ounces pink candy melts – confectioners' gold luster dust – edible glitter, gold and burgundy – 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips – 2 tablespoons piping gel or light corn syrup – 1/2 cup white nonpareils

– parchment paper – kitchen-dedicated soft bristle art brushes – disposable piping bag – (25) white cupcake liners

Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Thoroughly wash and dry the fresh berries leaving their caps intact. Place the white and pink candy melts in separate bowls. Heat each bowl in the microwave at 30-second intervals (100 percent power) until the candy can be stirred smooth.  Dip 10 strawberries in the white candy, allowing the excess to pour back into the bowl. Place the dipped berries, well-spaced, on the parchment paper. Repeat this step for 10 other 

strawberries using the melted pink candy. Allow the berries to stand until set, about 30 minutes. Leave five berries undipped.

Dip a dry soft bristle art brush in gold luster dust, and cover five of the white-dipped strawberries. Apply 3-4 coats of the dust to intensify the gold color. Heat three ounces of semisweet chips in the microwave until melted.  Transfer to a piping bag and snip a very small hole on the end. Starting at the cap portion of the berry, pipe melted chocolate in a looping crisscross motion, traveling toward the point of the strawberries. Repeat with the 

remaining gold berries. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer each berry to a cupcake liner, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Apply an even coat of piping gel using an art brush to five of the pink-dipped berries. Place a berry on a paper plate and sprinkle with burgundy glitter until entirely coated.  Repeat the process with the other four berries. Allow the berries to stand until dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer each one to a cupcake liner, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Heat three ounces of semisweet chips in the microwave at 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate into the leftover white candy (reheat if needed), and stir briefly with a spoon until the chocolate marbles the white candy.  Dip the five plain (undipped) strawberries into the mixture, and turn them halfway as you remove them from the melted candy. Place the marbled berries on the parchment paper. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes. 

When the berries are set, place each one in a cupcake liner, and put in the fridge until ready to serve.

Use an art brush dipped in piping gel to evenly coat five pink berries three-fourths of the way up, leaving one-fourth of the pink coating near the cap exposed.  Place the white nonpareils in a cup, and dip each berry into the sprinkles. Lightly tap the berry on the edge of the cup to remove excess nonpareils. Let the berries stand on the parchment paper until set, about 15 minutes. Transfer each one to a cupcake liner, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Pour edible gold glitter into a small container. Lightly coat the tips of five white candy-dipped berries with piping gel or corn syrup.  Dip the coated ends of the berries into the glitter. Transfer them to parchment paper to dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer each strawberry to a cupcake liner, and place until ready to serve.