This post is dedicated to anyone who's ever pinned anything on Pinterest.
I love Pinterest, though I use it less often than I used to, and usually it's to post photos of things I can't afford, men I'll never meet, or recipes I'll never make. But sometimes I get totally hooked on something I pin, that I simply must try!
Such was the case when I came across a recipe for Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries from The Sweets Life and found myself determined to try them myself. It's quite simple, plus, it looks really pretty on a plate - aesthetics count, right? And it turns out they travel well, so it's a perfect dish to bring with you to a dinner party.
The recipe called for:
- 1 lb. large strawberries
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- graham cracker crumbs
That said, I found there was some trial and error involved. When all was said and done, we actually had used 5 tbsp. of powdered sugar and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract. I would just advice you keep tasting it. When it tastes like cheesecake, you've got it. We'll get to that...
To start, wash your strawberries and then, slice off the stems and cut out the middles. This is a pretty tedious task with a knife so I highly recommend this remarkable little gadget, which I happen to own and its only $6.65 an Amazon.
We had MONSTER strawberries. I called them 'roid-berries. But in no time at all, voila!
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Like I said - trial and error here. Keep tasting it.
The recipe calls for you to add the cheesecake mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. We thought we knew better and used tiny spoons to scoop and stuff. It was still do-able, but was pretty hard to actually stuff the mix into the berry, so I'm sure we should have just done what it said. Whichever mechanic you opt for, you fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once the strawberries are filled, you simply dip the top in graham cracker crumbs.
The only panic came when we were almost out of filling. We used monster sized berries and didn't actually consider if they equaled or surpassed the pound that the recipe called for. But we just scraped the bowl clean and ended up with just the right amount.
Then my mom had a stroke of brilliance -- we decided to dip some of them in CHOCOLATE!
They were DELICIOUS! Go ahead and give them a try! I hope I have an excuse to make them again soon.
