Description
Strawberry Santas are a festive and adorable holiday treat featuring fresh strawberries filled with a fluffy cream cheese mixture, decorated with icing to resemble Santa Claus. Perfect for parties and family gatherings, these no-bake snacks are easy to assemble and bring a charming touch to your holiday table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Decorations
- 20 large strawberries
- 1.3-ounce tube black decorating icing
- 20 round red sprinkles or 1 (0.67-ounce) tube orange/red decorating icing
Instructions
- Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to beat on low speed until smooth and fully combined.
- Prepare the Strawberries: Cut the stems off each strawberry to create a flat surface, turning the strawberry into a cone shape. Then, cut each strawberry 3/4 of the way up from the bottom to create a smaller cone to serve as the “Santa hat.” Set the smaller cones aside.
- Pipe the Filling: Transfer the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium or large round tip (such as Wilton 2A). On the larger, bottom part of each strawberry, pipe a large swirl of cream cheese filling, making two layers to create Santa’s body.
- Decorate the Santas: Use the black decorating icing to dot two eyes in the middle of the cream cheese swirl. For the nose, place a red sprinkle or use red/orange decorating icing.
- Assemble the Santa Hats: Place the smaller cut-off strawberry cones on top of the cream cheese swirl to form the hats. Then pipe a small dot of cream cheese onto the tip of each hat to create the pom-pom.
- Serve and Store: Serve immediately or store the Strawberry Santas in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Be sure to cover or store them in a container with enough space to avoid squishing the decorations.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature for easy mixing and smooth filling.
- Handle the decorated strawberries gently to maintain the details and prevent the hats from falling off.
- These treats can be made ahead but are best served within 2-3 days for freshness.
- Use a piping bag with a round tip to achieve neat and uniform cream cheese swirls.
- If desired, substitute the cream cheese with a dairy-free alternative for a lactose-free version.
