Patriotic Stuffed Strawberries

By srumbel

Juicy strawberries are dipped in white chocolate, filled with sweetened cream cheese, and topped with a blueberry and an American flag in these cute Patriotic Stuffed Strawberries, the perfect treat for any 4th of July celebration!
from fivehearthome.com

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries
• 2 ounces white melting chocolate or vanilla candy coating
• 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Red, white, and/or blue sprinkles, optional
• Blueberries (the same number as strawberries)
• American flag party picks (the same number as strawberries)

Preparation

Step 1

Wash and dry the strawberries. Hull and slightly hollow out the center of each berry and trim a small slice off the bottom so that it stands up. Stand all of the trimmed berries on a paper towel for a few minutes to absorb any moisture.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Melt white chocolate or vanilla candy coating according to package directions. Dip the bottom of each strawberry into the melted white chocolate. Set dipped berries on the lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, until the white chocolate is somewhat set.
While the chocolate is setting, prepare the filling by mixing together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly blend in the powdered sugar, and then beat for a couple of minutes until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Line a drinking glass with a quart-sized plastic baggie. Fold the top of the bag down over the sides of the glass. Scoop all of the cream cheese mixture into the baggie.
Remove the berries from the refrigerator. Remove the baggie from the glass, squeeze the cream cheese mixture into one corner, and twist the top. Snip a 1/4-inch piece from the corner of the baggie to make a hole, and use the baggie to pipe the cream cheese mixture into each hollowed-out strawberry.
Garnish the cream cheese filling with sprinkles (if desired). Spear a blueberry with an American flag party pick so that the blueberry is about halfway up the wooden pick. Insert the pick into the cream cheese. Repeat with all berries and refrigerate for an hour or until fully set.

Tips, Tricks, & Variations

Depending on the size of your berries, you may need more or less than a pint for the given amounts of the other ingredients.

Melting white chocolate chips can be tricky. I much prefer using white melting chocolate wafers (like Ghiradelli), white baking chocolate (like Bakers), or vanilla candy coating (like CandiQuick).

You may make these Stuffed Strawberries a few hours ahead of time, but I do not recommend making them days ahead of time. Over time, the strawberries will start to soften and leach strawberry juice (much like chocolate-covered strawberries do), so they look nicer and taste better on the same day that they were made.

Yield: 1 pint of strawberries