Stuffed Strawberries

My friend Corinne came over this last Saturday. I hadn't seen her forever, and we had a lot to talk about. But talking is much more fun when you can be making, and eating, something delicious at the same time and Corinne was so nice to bring over ingredients for these cream cheese stuffed strawberries.

Understandably Corinne did most of the talking since I had my mouth full of these delicious little treats.

The original recipe is from the Deen Brothers and can be found on the Food Nework website. Corinne and I made the filling to taste, adding sugar and extract till it tasted just right. Instead of using pecans that the original recipe calls for we topped the strawberries with crushed almonds, and we also drizzled the tops with melted milk chocolate chips before adding the nuts. Yum yum.


Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries

20 whole large strawberries, hulled
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans or almonds

melted milk chocolate chips for drizzling

1. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.