Strawberry Santas

 Some of the absolute cutest things can be the simplest as well. Last weekend, my parents and I were going to a few different Christmas parties, and amidst preparations for the last week of school before break (always full of tests and projects), shopping for my friends and family's presents, and going to my last pottery class of the year (*sniff*), I needed to make something quick to take to one of the parties.
  These little Santas were perfect. Strawberries are cut and hollowed out, and then they are filled with a simple, sweet cream cheese. I also used the cream cheese to pipe little buttons and a top to Santa's hat! For the eyes, the original recipe seems to use some sort of little black seed; I used chocolate jimmies, but poppy seeds or black sesame seeds would work too.

  Besides being cute, these are shockingly delicious. The cream cheese and strawberries blend together to make a delicious, cheesecake-like party in your mouth. These were greatly enjoyed by everybody at the party, from the 1-year-old baby to his grandparents!
 Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Santas

(I got the recipe from the Christmas Spirit facebook page)

1 lb large strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                               chocolate jimmies (or other small decoration to use for eyes)

Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top, (enough for a hat). Clean out the whole strawberry with a paring knife, if necessary (some of them are hollow already. Prep all of the strawberries and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
Once strawberries are filled, top with the 'hats.' Decorate according to photo.
If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving