Sara Moulton Stuffs Berries with Cream Cheese Filling for a Red, White and Blue Dessert: 'It Screams Summer!'

"Tart, crunchy berries with creamy, chocolaty filling," says the host of 'Sara’s Weeknight Meals'

When tasked with making a dessert for a Fourth of July cookout, Sara Moulton knows just what to bring.

"Tart, crunchy berries with creamy, chocolaty filling — it screams 'summer, summer, summer!’" says the star of PBS’ Sara’s Weeknight Meals.

Moulton, who cohosts the Milk Street Radio podcast, shares a twist on her cannoli-filled berry recipe. Instead of ricotta, dark chocolate and orange peel, she offers ingredients to fit a red, white and blue theme.

Related: Emma Hearst's Fruit Paletas Will Help You Beat the Fourth of July Heat

"I needed to swap out the ricotta for something more substantial, namely cream cheese, dark chocolate for white chocolate to make sure it was white, and lemon zest for orange zest," she explains. "I love lemon and blueberries."

The no-bake filling can be prepped in advance but Moulton advises to wait on the piping. “The sugar in the filling will pull out moisture from the strawberries and make them soggy,” she says. So assemble the strawberries just before serving.

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Sara Moulton's Chocolate and Cream Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries

16 medium strawberries (from 2 quart containers)

4 oz. ⅓-less-fat cream cheese

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 oz. white chocolate, grated

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon zest, plus 2 tsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon)

1¼ cups small blueberries (from 1 pint)

1. Cut each strawberry in half lengthwise, keeping stems intact. Trim a thin slice from the bottom of each half to make each half sit evenly. Using a small measuring spoon or melon baller, scoop out the center of the cut side of each strawberry. Reserve the strawberry scraps for another use (or eat them). Arrange strawberry halves on a serving platter.

2. Stir together cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth; stir in white chocolate, lemon zest and lemon juice. Transfer cream cheese mixture to a plastic ziplock bag or piping bag; cut off about ½-inch of 1 corner of plastic bag or tip piping bag. Pipe cream cheese mixture into center of strawberries; top each with blueberries.

Makes: 32
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

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