Just a Bite: Mascarpone Mousse Filled Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Happy 6th Birthday to The Recipe Redux!  To celebrate, the Reduxers were in charge of bringing the dessert!  But, just a bite!

Do you ever have those time when you want something sweet, but just a bite?  I definitely fall into that category.  Do your eyes light up when eat dessert?  Mine sure do! I believe in eating quality dessert because it’s delicious and not just for the sake of eating dessert.

What happens when you give yourself a dessert moratorium?  You can’t stop thinking about it and then end up bingeing on every crappy quality sweet treat you can get your hands on.  Think about it…you know I’m right!

Increase your dessert eating IQ with these 5 tips

Quality over quantity!

Go for that expensive single serve sweet with real ingredients instead of the volume size treats that don’t even taste that good and are filled with artificial ingredients. Eat slowly and savor.each.bite.  Mmmmm mmmmmmm!

Eat chocolate, but make it dark!

Dark chocolate actually has heart healthy, anti-inflammatory qualities, but it’s best to choose the highest percentage of cocoa you can handle.  The darker chocolate chips will be at 69 and 70%, while you can find bars at even 80%.

Make frozen Greek yogurt bark

Sometimes a creamy frozen treat really hits the spot! Bonus: it’s loaded with healthy stuff like protein, probiotics and calcium.  Mix in fruit like berries, plus chopped nuts, coconut flakes and/or even chocolate.

Try healthifying your homemade desserts

Have you ever added mashed black beans to your brownies?  It’s delicious!  Add fruit and vegetable purees like pumpkin, banana, cauliflower, or zucchini to baked goods. Or,  turn those purees into sorbets or “nice” cream.  Beet and red wine sorbet anyone?

Eat dessert with friends

Instead of eating dessert alone, save dessert time for when you’re out socializing with friends.  Since the restaurant portion will probably be large, remember that sharing is caring!

Are you a cake person or a frosting person?  I’m the cream filling person which is why I had to fill my chocolate covered strawberries with a mousse-like cream!  I love this dessert because you get a little bit of sweet fruit, creamy mascarpone mousse and rich dark chocolate all in one bite.

These treats are so easy to make and I guarantee they will get eaten up quickly!  Melt the chocolate in the microwave, dip the strawberries, whip the mousse and fill the strawberries.  You don’t even need to turn the oven on!

Just a Bite: Mascarpone Mousse Filled Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Print Recipe

This is the perfect “just a bite” dessert. You’ll get cream, fruit and chocolate all in one bite. You won’t need all 3/4 cup of chocolate, but it makes it easier to dip the strawberries if you have more than you need!

• Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
• Yield: 16 filled strawberries 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 of an 8.8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 16 medium sized strawberries, stems and leaves removed
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, preferably 69% cacao

Instructions

1. After washing and plucking off the leaves, dry the strawberries. Using a paring knife, cut the core out of the strawberries, creating a cavity that will later be filled with mousse.
2. Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments. Stir in between each 30 seconds.
3. Dip each strawberry about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the cored top. Place each berry on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.
4. Place pan in the fridge until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.
5. On the high speed setting of a mixer, whip the mascarpone, cardamom and honey until smooth, about 30 seconds.
6. In another bowl, whip the cream until fluffy peaks form, about 2 minutes or less. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
7. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of cream into each strawberry. Or, spoon mousse into a large ziplock bag. Cut the tip off one of the ends of the bag and pipe the mousse into the strawberries.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Keywords: just a bite, mini dessert, dessert, strawberries, vegetarian, low carb, low carb dessert, low sodium, nut free