Cream Filled Strawberries

We wanted to serve a fruit for our tea party. Little Chef A requested that all the food be fancy so cut up fruit would not do. Luckily we were able to find Cream Filled Strawberries which were perfectly fancy for her, and perfectly easy for us to make.
The first step is to wash your strawberries. Choose about 15 that stand up the best on the green leaves. Sometimes the stem was long but it was easily cut off. With a small knife cut an “X” in each strawberry. You need to cut down far enough that the four sections will fan out like petals, but will not fall to the ground.
In a medium bowl use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese and sugar. We whipped it for a very long time because we did not want bits of cream cheese. Just keep taste testing! When it is smooth add in the vanilla and the heavy cream. Whip until stiff peaks form. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag, or my favorite a disposable bag which is then put inside a pastry bag because it is super easy to clean up. Use a large star tip.
Starting at the bottom of the strawberry (closest to the green leaves), pipe the cream into each strawberry. Eat immediately, or cover and refrigerate until later.
We had some extra cream filling left over which we used the next day as a dip for whatever fruit we had in the house. It was great either way. We really enjoyed this recipe. All the girls at the tea party loved them as well. There was not a single left uneaten!

Cream Filled Strawberries
Joy of Baking 

15 large fresh strawberries
1/3 cup cold regular cream cheese
1/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2-3 Tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Choose fresh strawberries that will sit flat. If they are a little wobbly, cut the green stems off so the strawberries will stand upright when placed on your serving tray. With a small sharp knife, cut an “X” into each strawberry, starting at the top of the strawberry and cutting down almost to the bottom of the strawberry. (The cut should be such that the strawberry will open up but not fall apart.) Gently, with your fingertips, spread each strawberry apart to make “petals”. Set aside while you make the cream filling.

In a medium sized bowl, whip (with a wire whisk or an electric hand mixer) the cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip such as the Wilton 1M tip. Starting at the bottom of the strawberry, pipe the cream into each strawberry. If not serving immediately, cover, and place in the refrigerator until serving time.