Are you looking for the ultimate cute, festive, and completely irresistible no-bake treat for your next Christmas party or holiday gathering? A fun, healthy-ish, and super-easy edible craft that is perfect to make with your kids? These incredible Strawberry Santas are that perfect recipe! We’re talking fresh, juicy strawberries, cleverly transformed into adorable little Santas with a fluffy, sweet, and tangy mascarpone “beard” and two tiny chocolate chip eyes.
This isn’t just another holiday recipe; it’s a guide to your new favorite Christmas tradition. We’ll show you the simple but brilliant secrets to creating these stunning little treats that require absolutely no baking and are ready in just a few minutes. This is a guaranteed, crowd-pleasing hit that is as fun to make as it is to eat!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Cute & Easy Holiday Treat
What makes these Strawberry Santas so spectacularly fun is their brilliant, easy-to-make design and their classic, crowd-pleasing fresh flavor. This recipe is a masterpiece of festive simplicity. The “Santa” is a fresh, juicy strawberry, which is sliced to create a “body” and a pointy “hat.”1 The real magic happens with the filling. A luscious, from-scratch mascarpone frosting is piped in between the two strawberry pieces to create Santa’s big, fluffy white beard. The final, adorable touch is a pair of mini chocolate chips for the “eyes” and a tiny frosting “pom-pom” on top of his hat.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 20 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 12 Santas |
Santa’s Workshop: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic party treat uses just a handful of high-quality ingredients to create its signature festive look and delicious flavor.
- The “Santa Suit” (The Strawberries!):
- Large, Ripe Strawberries: The secret to a perfect, well-proportioned Santa is to use large, ripe, and conical-shaped strawberries. Their classic shape is the key to a beautiful, pointy Santa hat.
- The “Fluffy Beard” (The Mascarpone Frosting!):
- Mascarpone Cheese: This is a brilliant and sophisticated secret ingredient! Mascarpone is a rich and creamy Italian cream cheese that has a naturally sweet flavor and a wonderfully smooth texture.2 Using room temperature mascarpone is the key to a perfectly smooth, lump-free frosting.
- The Adorable “Face”:
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Two tiny, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, placed with their pointed sides inward, make the perfect, cute little eyes for our Santas.3
The Baker’s Masterclass: The Secret to Perfect Strawberry Santas
This recipe is all about the fun, simple assembly. Here are a few tricks to guarantee a perfect result.
- A Flat Base is Key: The number one, non-negotiable secret to a Santa that stands up straight and doesn’t topple over is to create a perfectly flat base. By slicing off the green, leafy top of the strawberry, you are creating a sturdy foundation.
- Pat Them Dry: Before you begin to assemble your Santas, it is a great idea to gently pat your cut strawberries with a paper towel. This is the key that will remove any excess juice and will help your beautiful, white frosting from getting stained or from sliding off.
- The Piping Bag Trick: For the most beautiful, professional-looking “beard” and “pom-pom,” a simple piping bag fitted with a small star tip is your best friend. If you don’t have one, a simple zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works great too!
Step-by-Step to the Best Strawberry Santas
This fun and festive project is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The Art of the Creamy Mascarpone “Beard”
In a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat your 1/4 cup of room temperature mascarpone cheese and the 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract until they are smooth.4
Gradually beat in your 1 cup of powdered sugar until the mixture is thick, smooth, and holds its shape.
Using a spatula, transfer your finished frosting to a piping bag that has been fitted with a small star piping tip.
Part 2: Assembling Your Adorable Santa Squad
Step 1: Use a paring knife to cut off the green, leafy end of each of your 12 strawberries to make a flat surface.
Step 2: From the pointed end of each strawberry, cut off about a 1/2- to 3/4-inch piece and set these aside to be the “hats.”
Step 3: Place the larger, wide-side down strawberry pieces on your work surface.
Step 4 (The Fun Part!): Pipe a generous, 3/4-inch-high swirl of your mascarpone frosting on top of each strawberry “body.”
Step 5: Place the reserved strawberry “hats” on top of the frosting. Pipe a final, small ball of frosting on the very tip of each hat to create the “pom-pom.”
Step 6: Gently press two of your mini chocolate chips, with their pointed sides facing inward, into the swirl of frosting on each Santa to create the “eyes.”
Strawberry Santas (A No-Bake Christmas Treat!)
An adorable and easy no-bake recipe for ‘Strawberry Santas,’ a perfect kid-friendly treat for a Christmas or holiday party. This simple dessert is made by cutting fresh strawberries to create a body and a hat. A sweet and simple frosting, made from mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar, is piped between the strawberry pieces to create Santa’s face and beard. The cute little Santas are finished with mini chocolate chip ‘eyes’ and a tiny frosting pom-pom on their hats.
Ingredients
- For the Frosting:
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- For the Santas:
- 12 large strawberries
- 24 mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the Frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the room-temperature mascarpone and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a small star piping tip.
- Assemble the Santas: Wash and thoroughly dry the strawberries. Using a paring knife, cut off the green leaf-end of each strawberry to create a flat base.
- Cut a 1/2- to 3/4-inch piece from the pointed end of each strawberry; these will be the ‘hats.’
- Place the large strawberry bases, wide-side down, on a work surface.
- Pipe a 3/4-inch-high swirl of frosting onto the cut surface of each strawberry base to create Santa’s face and beard.
- Place the reserved strawberry ‘hats’ on top of the frosting.
- Pipe a small ball of frosting on the very tip of each hat to create a pom-pom.
- Gently press two mini chocolate chips, pointed-sides inward, into the swirl of frosting on each Santa to make the eyes.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Special Equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a small star tip is recommended for the best decorative results.
- This is an extremely fast, no-bake holiday treat that is perfect for making with kids.
- It is important that the strawberries are completely dry before you begin assembling, so the frosting and chocolate chips adhere properly.
- Using room-temperature mascarpone cheese is key to achieving a smooth, lump-free frosting.
How to Serve for a Holiday Party
To take these adorable treats to the next level for your Christmas party, try these fun presentation ideas:
- A Snowy Platter: Arrange your finished Strawberry Santas on a large, white serving platter and give the whole platter a generous, magical dusting of powdered sugar “snow.”
- A Festive Garnish: A few sprigs of fresh mint around the platter add a beautiful pop of green and a wonderful, festive aroma.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast and impressive party day, you can get a head start by preparing the mascarpone frosting up to 3 days in advance and storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Because they are made with fresh fruit, these Strawberry Santas are at their absolute best when they are served on the day they are made. Store any leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to my frosting that looks grainy or lumpy?
The secret is to use room temperature mascarpone cheese and to sift your powdered sugar. Cold mascarpone will not blend smoothly, and sifting the powdered sugar is the key that will remove any pesky little lumps and guarantee a perfectly smooth, silky frosting.
Q2: Can I make these ahead of time for a Christmas party?
These treats are best served fresh, but you can absolutely make the frosting a few days ahead of time. The final assembly of the Santas takes just a few minutes and is a fun activity to do right before your party starts!
Q3: Can I use a different kind of frosting?
Yes, absolutely! A classic cream cheese frosting or even a simple, store-bought vanilla frosting would also be delicious and would work beautifully for this recipe.
Q4: Can I use a different kind of fruit?
This specific “Santa” shape works best with the beautiful, conical shape of a strawberry. However, you could get creative and use this delicious frosting to make little “snowmen” out of raspberries or to decorate other fruits!
Q5: What is mascarpone cheese?
Mascarpone is a classic Italian double or triple cream cheese.5 It has a much milder, sweeter, and less tangy flavor than a classic American cream cheese, and its texture is incredibly rich and smooth. It is the key ingredient in a classic Tiramisu and makes for an absolutely luxurious frosting.