Preheat oven to 400°F and fill a muffin pan with 18 paper liners.
Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. You should have ½ cup puree. Set the rest of the whole berries aside for garnish.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla and strawberry puree.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides between each addition. After all ingredients have been added, scrape the sides and bottom again and beat for 1 minute.
Divide batter among muffin papers. Bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the ganache. Pour chocolate chips into a heat-safe bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-high. Once the cream starts to lightly bubble, remove it from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes, then whisk until completely melted and smooth.
Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache and let rest until firm.
If decorating with strawberry halves, place on top of cupcakes while ganache is still setting.