Strawberries Stuffed With Cranberry Mascarpone

I've been hanging on an old magazine recipe clipping for years. Finally, I made this recipe and, WOW, it's great. I used jumbo strawberries, but you can also use regular-size strawberries. Serve an appetizer or a dessert! The filling is not overly sweet, and you can add powdered sugar to taste if you want a sweeter cheese mixture. I've found that there's more than enough filling for 12 medium-large strawberries. If you don't have time to pipe the filling, you can serve it in a bowl as a dip.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 8  ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped (I use a food processor)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1  tablespoon  orange liqueur (I use Cointreau) or 1  tablespoon  orange juice (I use Cointreau)
• 12  large strawberries, halved (leave green tops on or off)

Directions

1. Combine mascarpone cheese, dried cranberries, orange zest, and liqueur in a bowl.
2. Pipe the cheese mixture onto the strawberry halves using a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip. The tip should be large enough so the cranberry bits do no clog the tip.
3. Chill then serve.