When I was a young girl we'd overnight strawberries to my grandparents in Massachusetts. This might seem like a silly thing to do, but I've heard all too well the plight of over-priced, over-ripe, tiny strawberries on the East Coast. See, I grew up quite literally walking past the strawberry fields to school, and my little Southern California town is known as one of the strawberry capitals of the country. We even hold a massive strawberry festival each Spring. A life without fresh, ripe, dippable, bursting with flavor strawberries never occurred to me as I was painting my shirt, fingers, and face with strawberry juice as a child.
In the Summer anything frozen is a hit- But I try not to keep ice cream on hand- or it'll get eaten and, nobody needs that temptation around. Needless to say, my favorite, banana splits, are reserved for ice cream parlors and special occasions. That's where the genius of these banana split strawberries come in- a healthier version of a classic treat in a single portion, bite sized package. They're especially great frozen and thawed at room temperature for 5 minutes, or served fresh at a Summer party.
So this recipe, needless to say, is insanely simple, requires no baking, and can be made in about 30 minutes with some ingredients most people have on hand already. Since I'm watching my sugar, I even found a delicious sugar free pudding mix to use as the base for my pineapple banana filling- and it chills to the most wonderful texture, thanks to the artificial sweeteners.
Of course anybody can core out strawberries and fill them with deliciousness- who am I to judge if you just straight up nozzle some whipped cream in the center and call it done? The sentiment is still there- banana splits IN strawberries. And these pack an adorable punch at that. But I do have to say, the creamy, fluffy, pudding filling is the perfect companion to the crunch of the chocolate dipped shell and the gooey chocolate fudge.
Most recipes that require coring use a melon baller. Well, I don't own one, and most berries are going to be too small for one. I actually used a sturdy teaspoon measuring spoon to carefully carve out the center of my berries. It worked perfectly! You'll also want to cut just the tip of the strawberries off to help them stand after being dipped. Be careful though, these will be top heavy when filled- when in doubt, cut a little extra off. The filling is thick and shouldn't leak or run through.
Who doesn't love a chocolate dipped strawberry? Well, those who don't like strawberries I suppose- but then, you wouldn't be reading this, would you? Prepare your gorgeous strawberry split vessels by dipping them in a thinned chocolate solution. I like to use a little bit of coconut oil, rather than butter, to give my chocolate a quick melting, even consistency. The trick is to get the chocolate just thin enough to begin running down the sides when you place it on your resting tray.
What Daughter Says: Strawberries mean Summer in my little hometown- and it just wouldn't be Summer without them!
Banana Split Strawberries
***Click here for a printable Banana Split Strawberries recipe
Ingredients:
2 C Fresh Strawberries
1/2 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 TBS Coconut Oil
Finely Chopped Nuts
1/2 C Heavy Cream
4oz Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 Banana, Mashed
1/4 C Well Drained Crushed Pineapple
4 TBS (About 1oz) Instant Pudding Mix in Vanilla or Banana
Maraschino Cherries, With Stems
Sprinkles
Hot Fudge
Directions:
1. Combine heavy cream, cream cheese, and instant pudding in a medium bowl and mix on medium speed until thick and fluffy. Fold in bananas and pineapple and refrigerate.
2. Wash and dry strawberries. Cut off top and bottom, as to create a flat surface to stand the berry. Using a small TBS measuring spoon core out the center of each strawberry and stand them upright on a prepared cookie sheet.
3. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave on medium for 90 seconds. Stir until smooth and even. Dip the bottom of each strawberry in the chocolate and immediately into the nuts. Place dipped berries on a prepared parchment paper and freeze for 5 mins.
4. Remove berries from freezer and pipe generously with filling. Drizzle warmed hot fudge atop and top with sprinkles and a cherry. Serve fresh or freeze and thaw for 5 mins prior to serving for a frozen treat.
YOU are killing me here, I should talk to someone to make me some of these!
ReplyDeleteoh yum!!!! :)
ReplyDelete~Tess
Seriously, such a brilliant idea!!! This would be the perfect dessert for my girl's night!
ReplyDeleteYummy and YES please!! These are *almost* too cute to actually eat...almost!
ReplyDeleteWow this looks amazing! It sounds like a perfect dessert for a hot summer day.
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing! I have to try them out soon. I know that my girls are going to love that too. We love having strawberries, so this will be fun to make.
ReplyDeleteNO WAY??? Now these look amazing. How did you ever come up with these? These look amazing. I love that you filled the strawberries. YUMMY! Thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh this looks amazing!! My girls are obsessed with strawberries and would love this treat!
ReplyDeleteThese look so delicious. I love how everything from a banana split has been incorporated into this delectable treat. I love strawberries.
ReplyDeleteLove the bite size! Can't wait to try your recipe! It looks soo good!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun treat! My boys would love these. They like strawberries and with the addition of the sprinkles, chocolate and everything else they'd gobble them up!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh these look delicious! Clever idea and they look fun to make too!
ReplyDeleteWow! These are decadent and adorable! Would make for a great party dessert.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this idea! So making these on the weekend for our family get together. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! You had me at banana split! I am obsessed with strawberries, I will eat them in any way, but ice cream is my favorite! Super delicious recipe!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to give this recipe a try. It will be perfect for our BBQ this weekend. I am sure they will be a big hit.
ReplyDeleteCould there be a more perfect individual dessert! I have never seen anything like this!
ReplyDeleteThose look so good! You got a lot of really great pictures. I love how creative and colorful these banana split strawberries are, I totally want to make some now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a delicious and delicious menu and I want to eat it. It will be fresh.
ReplyDeleteviva9988 holiday
Oh my god these strawberries ate not only lovely but looking delicious. They are easy to make and tempting. I think , I can do this with other fruits as well. Thanks for great share
ReplyDelete