chocolate cheesecake filled strawberries

by tijuana, 02/01/2013

well, valentines day is approaching fast. when you think of valentines treats with your honey, what kinds of foods hit you first? i'd say, chocolate #1, strawberries #2, and steak #3. usually someone is making some steak dinner with chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. or maybe even a chocolate fondue to dip some fruit in along with some kind of steak. okay... do i just want a steak or something? *note to self - ask hubby to make steaks for valentines day.* anyway, i have the perfect treat for you. having trouble deciding whether or not to choose strawberries or chocolate for v-day? let's combine the two by way of chocolate cheesecake filled strawberries with a graham cracker crumble over top. the added bonus? not as many calories as regular cheesecake! plus, you do not need to turn on the oven, or even cut on the stove. this decadent dessert is done in minutes, leaving time for other things... like making a steak! 🙂

total Time: 10 minutes
prep time: 10 minutes
yield: 8 servings

ingredients:

1 pound strawberries -
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips -
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese - room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar -
1 graham cracker - crunched to crumbs

instructions:

wash each strawberry. cut the top off of each strawberry and using a knife, core out the middle of each strawberry. cut off a small piece of the bottom, (evenly) so they can sit up on the plate.

in a double boiler or microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate until just melted. set aside to cool.

in a small bowl, blend the cream cheese until smooth. add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. if you want, you can add the powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments, until you get to your desired sweetness. since it is not strawberry season and the berries are not that sweet, i sweetened the filling up good.

fold in the chocolate.

mixing until incorporated.

add to a piping bag or plastic ziploc bag and pipe decoratively into the strawberries. sprinkle the graham crackers crumbs over top of each strawberry.