Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

I love watching the Food Network, if you haven't already figured that out.  I happened to have caught Paula Deen cooking with her son Jamie on tv one day.  One particular recipe jumped out at me ~ Cream Cheese Filled Berries.  They looked absolutely delicious.  I did make one change to the recipe, I used Marscapone cheese instead of the cream cheese.  Oh I lied, I didn't have any pecans so I used walnuts.

The night I made these little gems we had my sister in law Kathy and her husband over for dinner & a dip in the pool.  Everyone thought the were delicious and could not guess what the filling was. 

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

Ingredients

20 whole large strawberries, hulled

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup confectioners' powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.