Irresistible Strawberry Desserts

Sliced, fried, or frozen, strawberries make for a delicious dessert ingredient! Try some of these recipes for an impressive finish to a summer meal.

Strawberry-Orange Shortcake Tart

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. orange marmalade
1 (16-oz.) container fresh strawberries, cut in half
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs, sweetened whipped cream

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Place first 6 ingredients (in order of ingredient list) in a food processor. Process 20 seconds or until mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer to a large bowl.

Whisk together egg and buttermilk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened and a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 3 to 4 times. Press dough on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan.

Bake at 425° for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.

Stir together strawberries and 1/2 cup marmalade.

Beat heavy cream with 2 Tbsp. sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Spoon onto cornmeal crust; top with strawberry mixture. Garnish, if desired.

Related: 12 Crazy-Good Cobblers

No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-oz.) can evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 (16-oz.) container fresh strawberries or thawed frozen strawberries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation
Whisk first 4 ingredients in a 2-quart pitches or large bowl until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Process strawberries, lemon juice, and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir into milk mixture.

Pour milk into freezer container of a 1-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Remove container with ice cream from ice-cream maker, and place in freezer 15 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until firm, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Related: Chill Out with Our Best Ice Cream Recipes

Fried Strawberry Pies

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, mashed

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 (15-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring strawberry mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened. Cool completely.

Roll 1 piecrust to press out fold lines; cut into 9 circles with a 3-inch round cutter. Roll circles to 3 1/2-inch diameter; moisten edges with water. Spoon 2 tsp. strawberry mixture in the center of each circle; fold over, pressing edges to seal. Repeat with remaining piecrust and strawberry mixture.

Place pies in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze at least 1 hour.

Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch into a large heavy skillet; heat to 350°. Fry pies, in batches, 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Related: Step-by-Step Guide to Making Strawberry Pies

Irish Strawberry-and-Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sour cream, divided
3 Tbsp. strawberry preserves
Garnish: whole strawberries

Preparation
Stir together first 3 ingredients; press mixture into bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake crust at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and 3 Tbsp. flour at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add vanilla and Irish cream liqueur, beating just until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Add 3/4 cup sour cream, beating just until blended.

Pour half of batter into prepared crust. Dollop strawberry preserves over batter; gently swirl batter with a knife to create a marbled effect. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 300° for 55 minutes or until edges of cheesecake are set. (Center of cheesecake will not appear set.) Turn off oven; let cheesecake stand in oven 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Release and remove sides of pan. Spread remaining 1/2 cup sour cream evenly over top of cheesecake. Garnish, if desired.

Related: Chilled Summer Pies You Have to Try!

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients
2 (16-oz.) containers fresh strawberries, quartered
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup cold butter, cut up
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation
Combine strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and, if desired, almond extract. Cover berry mixture, and let stand 2 hours.

Beat whipping cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Cover and chill up to 2 hours.

Combine flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by lightly greased 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. (Coat cup with vegetable cooking spray after each drop.)

Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon about 1/2 cup berry mixture onto each shortcake bottom; top each with a rounded Tbsp. chilled whipped cream, and cover with shortcake tops. Serve with remaining whipped cream. Garnish, if desired.

See 21 More Irresistible Strawberry Desserts!

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