Strawberry Santas

This is an adventurous project, but the results are well worth it.

Strawberry Santas
15 large strawberries
1 can chunk pineapple
1-8oz block cream cheese, softened
1/2 c marshmallow creme
mini chocolate chips
fancy toothpicks

For starters, I couldn't find fancy toothpicks. They are the ones with the curly plastic on the top that you see in sandwiches. I ended up a little frustrated, but a kind salesperson at World Market pointed me to these cool Christmas picks (which were also 1/2 price) and I liked them much better than what I was originally looking for. Very fancy.


Wash and drain the strawberries and thoroughly drain the pineapple on paper towels. Cut the leaves off of the top of the strawberry and cut about 1/3 off the bottom. The bigger the strawberry, the better the result. The bottom eventually becomes his hat. It is basically an upside down strawberry with the top 1/3 sliced off. Spear the pieces together as shown. They look a little like tiny aliens at this point.


Poke small holes in the pineapple where you want to eyes to go (I used a pick to do that with), and poke the chocolate chips into the holes. It is slippery and some of them will fall out, but just keep trying. They will eventually cooperate. Let them know who's boss.

Then, beat the cream cheese and marshmallow creme together and put into a decorating bag with a small tip. Pipe around it to form the fur on his hat, his hair, and his beard and mustache. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Aren't they cute?