Chocolate Cream filled Strawberries

Strawberries are in so much abundance right now and so sweet, this inspired me to try this recipe. Here is my version of recipe. This is a quick delicious dessert and I find it little less messier and easier to make than the chocolate covered strawberries, which are my favorite too !!



Ingredients:



* 2 pounds of large strawberries

* 8 oz. block of cream cheese soften at room temp

* 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

* 1 cup of regular or powdered sugar

* 2 teaspoons of corn starch mixed in 1 tablespoon of cold milk

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Graham cracker crumbs



Method:



* Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry.

* Remove the top and clean out inside with a paring knife (I use tip of potato
peeler)

* If you want the strawberries to stay upright, you can slice the bottom tip off slightly and thus flatten from the bottom.

* Once strawberries are cored and ready, set them aside.

* Melt chocolate chips in Microwave with constant monitoring and stirring occasionally until smooth.

* Combine melted chocolate, cream cheese, sugar, tablespoon of milk + corn starch and vanilla with a mixer until smooth. (I used hand mixer with blade attachment to get all the lumps out and make it extra smooth)

* Refrigerate the filling for 15-20 min.

* Add chocolate cream cheese mix to cake decorating piston and fill strawberries.

* Once strawberries are filled, roll the top in graham cracker crumbs.

* I left some strawberries just filled with chocolate cream and without graham cracker crumbs.

* Refrigerate them covered and serve them chilled.




Enjoy :)





Suggestions/Hints:



* You can use condensed milk instead of sugar to desired sweetness.

* Instead of Cream cheese you can use Neufchatel cheese or also can use Mascarpone cheese.

* If you want to make Cheese Cake Cream filled strawberries:

-Just omit the melted chocolate and add few drops of fresh lime juice in the cream cheese mix.

- You may want to add 1 table spoon more sugar or condensed milk to this mixture.

- You can still roll these in graham cracker crumbs and/or can drizzle with little chocolate if you like.




Recipe and Photographs by Surekha.