Chocolate Dipped Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

Strawberry Season

Strawberry season is in full swing in my part of the world.  My family has been visiting the strawberry fields every week.

We all love strawberries including our beloved Golden Retriever.  True story, if I give her a strawberry that is store bought she will spit it out on the ground and proceed to give me a stare down.  This year the strawberry farm didn’t plant Chandler strawberries, her favorite, and I have been getting quite a few stare downs.

Today I am sharing with you an awesome strawberry treat that I like to make for my husband’s lunch, for parties and especially for lazy Sunday afternoons.  Easy to make and with the taste of cheese cake, strawberries and chocolate you have a winner, winner chicken dinner. 

These strawberry treats taste like a bite of strawberry cheesecake drizzled in chocolate.  The chocolate helps them stand up tall and straight just waiting to get gobbled up.

Cream Cheese

Start out by taking your cream cheese out of the fridge to soften while you prepare the strawberries.

Washing Strawberries

Thoroughly washing your strawberries in a colander in the sink until all dirt and debris is removed.  Depending upon your strawberries you may need to rinse in fresh water a couple of times to get them thoroughly washed. Place strawberries into a large bowl and add vinegar/water mixture to the bowl. The vinegar water mixture will kill off any mold spores on the strawberries (optional).  Let strawberries drain in the colander. I used my salad spinner and it worked beautifully.

Drying Strawberries

When you are done washing and draining the strawberries lay them out on paper towels.  Let the berries dry while you are getting together all the ingredients, bowls and utensils needed in the recipe.

Preparing Strawberries

You will need to cut a small section off the bottom of the strawberry.  This will allow it to stand up straight on a plate and not fall over.  The small pieces are a nice cook’s treat.

Hull the strawberries.  You can use a tool (strawberry huller) like I did in the video or you can use a knife to cut the stem off and then use the knife to cut out the center of the strawberry.   I like using the strawberry huller because it will remove the stem and part of the inside to make a perfect hole for the filling.   When finished place the strawberries on a paper towel to let the berries dry while you are making the filling. 

Preparing Cream Cheese Filling

In a mixing bowl add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and flavorings.  Mix thoroughly.  If mixture is too thick you may add one drop of milk at a time to thin the mixture.

Filling Strawberries

Fill the center of the strawberry with the cream cheese mixture.  To make a swirl design in the cream cheese mixture you will twist the strawberry in a circle with your fingertips while inserting the filling mixture into the strawberry.  Set the filled strawberry on a paper towel to wait for the chocolate dip.

Melting Chocolate

Place 1/4 cup Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Melting Wafers into a microwavable container.  Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds and take out and stir.  If not melted then repeat at 15 second intervals until melted.

Dip the stuffed strawberries into the chocolate and swirl to make sure chocolate has coated the bottom of the strawberry and up the side about 1/4 in.  Place the chocolate coated strawberry on a piece of parchment paper, wax paper or a non-stick mat.  

Once chocolate has firmed up you can transfer the strawberries to a plate and place in the refrigerator for future eating.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

Recipe by theresa@theresamroe.com Course: DessertCuisine: American

Servings

8

servings – 2 each

Prep time

10

minutes

Decoration Time

20

Minutes

Ingredients for cream cheese filling

• 1 8 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese, Softened

• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar*

• 1/8 Teaspoonful Coconut Extract

• 1/8 Teaspoonful Almond Extract

• 1/4 Teaspoonful Vanilla Extract

• INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE DIP

• 1/4 Cup Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Melting Wafers

• 16 Large Strawberries, Washed, Dried and Hulled**

• EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• 1 Four Inch Paring Knife

• 1 Huller Strawberry Huller (seen in Video)

• 1 Dessert Decorator Wilton Dessert Decorator with star tip or piping bag with star tip***

• 1 Bowl Small Bowl for Melting Chocolate

• — — Parchment Paper, Wax Paper or a Non-Stick Mat

Directions

• Wash the strawberries in a colander in the sink until all dirt and debris removed.  Place strawberries into a large bowl and add vinegar/water mixture** to the bowl. Soak for a few minutes and drain in colander.  When you are done washing the strawberries lay them out to dry on paper towels.
• Hull the strawberries with a strawberry huller tool or paring knife.  Cut a small section off the bottom of the strawberry so the strawberry can stand upright.  Set berries on a paper towel while preparing the filling to let the moisture on the berries finish drying.
• In a mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and flavorings.  Mix thoroughly.  If mixture is too thick you may add one drop of milk at a time to thin the mixture. 
• Place the mixture into a piping bag or tool*** with a star tip to stuff the strawberries.
• Stuff the strawberries and set back on paper towel to wait for chocolate dip.  If you wish to make a swirl design in the cream cheese mixture you twist the strawberry in a circle with your fingertips while inserting the filling mixture into the strawberry.
• Place 1/4 cup Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Melting Wafers into a microwavable container.  Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds and take out and stir.  If not completely melted repeat at 15 second intervals until melted. 
• Dip the stuffed strawberries into the chocolate and swirl to make sure chocolate has coated the bottom of the strawberry and up the side about 1/4 inch.  Place the coated strawberry standing up on a piece of parchment paper, wax paper or a non-stick mat.     

Notes

• *If strawberries are not very sweet then adjust up the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time up to equal 1 cup if needed for sweetness.
• **Ratio for vinegar/water mixture is 1 cup white vinegar to 10 cups water. The vinegar water mixture will kill off any mold spores on the strawberries. Optional.
• *** The piping tool I used for this project is a Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus.  It is a piping tool that lets you use your thumb to press out the amount of cream cheese you wish instead of using a piping bag which gets the cream cheese mixture warm from you hand gripping it.