FESTIVE STRAWBERRY SANTA’S

These festive and fun delights are great for making with the kids and with no added sugar, they make for a healthy treat too! It’s a simple recipe which combines fresh colorful strawberries with a rich cream cheese and vanilla filling, with chocolate chip decorations for a festive Santa themed treat, perfect for parties and celebrations.

Makes: 15 SERVINGS

Prep Time: 15 MINUTES PLUS CHILLING

ingredients

For the strawberries

15 large fresh strawberries

30 no sugar added chocolate chips (approximately 1 ounce/28 g) (we like Lily’s brand baking chips)

For the Whipped Filling

8 ounces (220 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened

¼ cup (50 g) Sola sweetener

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup (120ml) heavy cream

directions

1. Place the softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and Sola sweetener in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use an electric hand mixer). Whisk for approximately 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and lump-free.

2. Gradually add the cream, then turn up the speed to high and whisk until the mixture is stiff. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Hull each strawberry and slice off a sliver of the stem side of the strawberry to obtain a flat edge so they will stand upright, cut each strawberry about two thirds of the way up so that the smaller piece (the pointy part) becomes a hat.

4. Use a piping bag to decorate the Santa’s, start by piping about a tablespoon of the mixture onto the larger bottom piece of strawberry and top with “the hat”, place two chocolate chips on the whipped filling to represent eyes and then add a small piping of the whipped filling to the top of the hat and the front of the bottom part of the strawberry to represent a button.  Refrigerate until needed, best eaten on the day they are made.