Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Cream

Living with my grandma is ... interesting. She says the funniest things and tells the funniest stories. I kind of wish that I had a video camera, just to tape her. All the time (not stalker-ish at all). My brother told me one time that she introduced herself to someone by saying that she was "bull-headed and opinionated". Now, I'm not sure if that's true or not, but opinionated is a good way to describe her. Watching her watch the news is hilarious. But this is now getting awkward because I just realized that my grandma will be able to read this because I bookmarked my blog on her laptop. Oops. Well, if you're reading this Grandmom, I do love you! Haha. Since this is now even more awkward, let's move on to the dessert.

Chocolate covered strawberries, who doesn't love them? They are absolutely delicious on their own, but fill them with a cream cheese frosting? Pure decadence. I mean, seriously. These are awesome! They take a little bit more effort than a plain chocolate covered strawberry but they are definitely worth it. I made these on Saturday because my aunt was coming over. She had asked me to make a dessert that was fruity and chocolate-y (mostly everything I make is just chocolate-y), but the only thing I could thing of was chocolate covered strawberries (seriously, if you have any non-chocolate dessert recipes, send them to me!). That seemed kind of lame, until I found this recipe which takes them to the next level! I had a little trouble filling the strawberries, so I just piped the cream on top. The recipe tells how to fill them, so let me know if you did it! Enjoy.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Cream (Source: Grin & Bake It)

2 lbs fresh strawberries, washed & dried

1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

2-5 tablespoons shortening

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

If you’re only filling the strawberries (skipping chocolate), cut the stem off so that strawberries stand pointed-side up. With a sharp knife, cut and “X” into each strawberry, almost to the bottom of each berry. Gently open the strawberry apart at the cut. If you’re doing both the chocolate and cream option, cut the tip off the strawberry so that it stands upright.Use a paring knife to hull out the middle.

In a double boiler, melt chips and enough shortening to make a smooth mixture. Cool slightly. Dip strawberries, and let set on parchment paper-lined trays.

Cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the vanilla, then gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use. Spoon the cream mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the cream into the strawberries. If you do not have cake decorating supplies, spoon the cream into a Ziploc, and cut off the tip of the bag to pipe. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. YIELD: 2-3 dozen

Have a great week!