Blissful Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

These ridiculously cute things combine all of my favorite ingredients into one little, easy to eat dessert. My mom e-mailed me this recipe from a Martha Stewart Living e-newsletter. I added my own little twists to it – like dipping the bottom in melted semi-sweet chocolate!

Not only are these bite-sized gems foolishly tasty, they look beautiful too.

It’s as easy as this:

• Whip 6 oz. cream cheese at room temperate on medium-speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
• Add ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Mix in 1 ½ tbs. confectioners’ sugar
• Trim tops and bottoms of 12 strawberries. (The berries will be standing up, so be sure the bottoms are level.)
• Use a small knife to carefully hollow out each berry
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the cream cheese mixture
• Pipe berries until it brims over the top in a pretty swirl
• Melt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips on a VERY low heat
• Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate
• Toast ¼ cup sliced almonds in a 350 degree oven until golden-brown
• Arrange slices over filling

Blisssssss.