What can put of smile on your family and friends faces? Strawberry season and our nation’s Fourth of July birthday!
Happy Fourth of July
Here is a fun twist on my recipe for Chocolate Dipped Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries to have at your Fourth of July celebration. They are not only easy to make but taste of cheese cake, strawberries and are patriotic. What a combination of yummy and red, white and blue. What says summer more than strawberries filled with yummy cheesecake?
Cream Cheese
Start out by taking your cream cheese out of the fridge to soften while you prepare the strawberries.
Washing Strawberries
Thoroughly wash your strawberries in a colander in the sink until all dirt and debris is removed. 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). Soak for a few minutes and drain in colander.
Preparing Strawberries
When you are done washing the strawberries lay them out to dry on paper towels. Let the berries dry while you are getting together all the ingredients, bowls and utensils needed in the recipe.
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 picture 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. Place the mixture into a piping bag or tool with a star tip to stuff the strawberries.
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 to be dipped.
Melting White Wafers
Place 1/4 cup Ghirardelli White Vanilla Flavored 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.
Dipping Strawberries
Dip the filled strawberries into the melted wafers and swirl to make sure it has coated the bottom of the strawberry and up the side about 1/4 in. Place the coated strawberry on a piece of parchment paper, wax paper or a non-stick mat.
Placing Blueberry on Strawberry
Once coating has hardened then place a blueberry on top of the cream cheese on each of the strawberries.
Insert a decorative American Flag toothpick into each strawberry. Another option is to place strawberries on a serving plate and add a few strawberries drizzled in chocolate with decorative American Flag toothpick into each of the chocolate strawberries.
Would like to see a video on how to make Dipped Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries? Visit my blog entry Chocolate Dipped Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries for the complete video.
Have a Happy, Healthy and Safe Fourth of July. Enjoy!
Fourth of July Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries
Course: Dessert, Holiday’sCuisine: American8
servings, 2 each10
minutes20
minutesIngredients for cream cheese filling
1 8 Oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Powered sugar*
1/8 Teaspoon Coconut extract
1/8 Teaspoon Almond extract
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE DIP
1/4 Cup Ghirardelli White Vanilla Flavored Melting Wafers
16 Large Strawberries, washed, dried and hulled**
- Equipment Needed
1 4 Inch Paring Knife
1 Strawberry Huller (seen in video)
– – Parchment paper, wax paper or a non-stick mat
16 American Flag toothpicks, you can find them in 30 ct. packages
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 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 White Vanilla Flavored 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 filled strawberries into the melted wafers. Swirl to make sure it 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.
- Once the coating has hardened place a blueberry on top of the cream cheese on each of the strawberries.
- Place strawberries on a serving plate and insert a decorative American Flag toothpick into each strawberry. Another option is to place strawberries on a serving plate and add a few strawberries drizzled in chocolate with decorative American Flags into each of the chocolate strawberries.
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.
