Strawberry Flip Fruit Dip (and a Buttery Rolled Cookie Recipe)

You'll flip over this simple, fluffy, fruit dip loaded with strawberry flavour. Serve it as a delightful pink dip for fresh fruit, berries, cookies, cake, or even just buttered toast fingers. It's a fun way to treat your favourite Valentines and show them a little bit of sweet love, or serve it any time you're craving something fresh, creamy, and fruity. Also included, a recipe for classic, buttery rolled cookies perfect for dipping (with a gluten free variation). [Skip to recipes.]

In our part of the country Valentine's Day is a winter holiday. We're usually deep in the depths of an Arctic chill during this month, and this year is no different. Plus we're all staying home and hunkering down this year. So let's pretend the winter winds aren't howling outside and we'll imagine that whispers of spring are stirring the air. Let's make a little feast, light some candles, and put on some soft music. Let's set our tables with our prettiest dishes, maybe even some flowers, and let's think happy thoughts about all our loved ones. Whether we're just celebrating with that one special someone or the whole crew, let's make the day at least a little different from the rest of this long string of days we've been spending at home.

A simple dish of this soft pink strawberry fruit dip is a great way to add some festive feeling - it's like a little smile in a bowl, and once you start dipping in bits of fruit and berries, or crispy, buttery little heart cookies, or soft bits of angel food cake, maybe some buttered and sugared toast fingers . . . well, now it's a great big hug in a bowl.

The cookies are a fun project to make for Valentine's Day. You could even turn them into edible valentines (see this cookie-painting post for inspiration) by painting hearts and sayings onto them. They're the classic recipe I've made since before our kids were born, and they turn out every time - rich, buttery, crisp but soft, and just right to eat plain, dip into this luscious Strawberry Flip Fruit Dip, or decorate for whatever occasion you are celebrating.

 

This light and lovely fruit dip is also great for:

• assorted fresh fruit cut into bite-sized pieces:  apple slices, pineapple, orange sections, banana slices, kiwi, pear, peaches, apricots, plums, etc.
• berries, especially strawberries, but also blackberries or raspberries
• pound cake or angel food cake cubes
• marshmallows (homemade marshmallows are a treat)
• small cookies (sugar cookies, animal cookies, graham cookies, etc)
• pieces of muffins or doughnuts
• buttered toast, sprinkled lightly with sugar, and cut into fingers
• little round silver dollar pancakes, or waffle fingers

or serve it on pancakes, waffles, french toast, cake slices (angel food or pound cake), or over ice cream with fresh fruit as a lightened-up sundae topping.

Whatever you do to make your Valentine's Day special, I hope you have a loved one to keep in your heart while you do it, whether it's a parent or a child, a friend, a relative, or a special someone.

Yes, I know there's the argument that we should celebrate love every day rather than just on one designated day, but during this crazy time in the world, we need excuses for little celebrations to brighten up the everydays and to remind us that we still have many blessings in our lives.

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Kitchen Frau Notes: Try other fruit + jam combinations, like crushed raspberries and raspberry jam, apricots and apricot jam, or any fruit that can be crushed, mashed, or finely minced + its matching jam or a coordinating jam.

If you don't have Greek yogurt, you can use cream cheese or strained yogurt. To strain yogurt, line a sieve with a coffee filter or paper towel. Fill it with plain, natural yogurt (without added gelatin), and set it over a bowl to drain in the fridge overnight.

If you can get whipping cream with 36% fat it will help any leftover dip keep for a couple days in the fridge without getting too watery. Cream with a higher fat content will take a little longer to whip up, but it will whip stiffer and retain its stiffness much longer without breaking down.

You can omit the rosewater, but it is not expensive and can usually be found in the import section of large supermarkets. It keeps forever in the fridge, and is a delightful addition to so many sweet or fruity dishes, adding a very subtle and mysterious flavour - as long as you don't overdo it.

Scroll down for the recipe for Classic Buttery Rolled Cookies.

Strawberry Flip Fruit Dip

• 5 oz (150 g) fresh strawberries (½ cup/120 grams when trimmed, diced, and mashed)
• ½ cup (110 g) Greek yogurt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons strawberry jam
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream (36% is best if you can get it)

for dipping:

• assorted fresh fruit cut into bite-sized pieces:  apple slices, pineapple, orange sections, banana slices, kiwi, pear, peaches, apricots, plums, etc.
• berries, especially strawberries, but also blackberries or raspberries
• pound cake or angel food cake cubes
• marshmallows (homemade marshmallows are a treat)
• small cookies (sugar cookies, animal cookies, graham cookies, etc)
• pieces of muffin
• fingers of buttered toast sprinkled with sugar

Cut the hulls off the strawberries and chop them finely, then mash them with a fork or potato masher. You should have about a half cup of chunky purée.

In a bowl, stir together the strawberry purée, Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons of the strawberry jam, vanilla, and rosewater. The mixture can be made up to this point and refrigerated for a few hours.

Just before serving, whip the cream stiff (I find an electric whisk or putting one beater into an electric hand mixer works well to whip it). Fold the cream into the strawberry yogurt mixture. Taste the dip, and if you'd like it a bit sweeter, add another tablespoon or more of strawberry jam.

Serve with an assortment of bite-sized fruit and berries, cubes of cake, homemade marshmallows, small cookies, pieces of muffin, or buttered toast fingers sprinkled with sugar. Makes a lovely snack or part of a dessert or brunch spread. Strawberry Flip Fruit Dip is also delicious on waffles, pancakes, or French toast.

Makes about 2 cups fruit dip.

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Buttery Rolled Cookies

adapted from these Painted Cookies

• 1 cup (225gms) salted butter
• ⅔ cup (133gms) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2½ cups (350gms) all purpose flour (or for gluten-free use 1 cup/140 grams sweet rice flour + 1¾ cups/245 grams of a gluten free flour mix + ½ teaspoon xanthan gum)

Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and creamy-coloured. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and mix well.

Divide the dough into two balls. If you wish to make some pink cookies, mix one of the balls of dough with 1 tablespoon of powdered freeze-dried raspberries (or a few drops of red food colouring) + 1 teaspoon raspberry or lemon extract.

Flatten each ball into a disc about 1¼ inches (3cm) thick. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough discs for about 3 to 4 hours in the fridge, or 30 – 45 minutes in the freezer.

Sprinkle the counter liberally with flour. Roll out the dough quite thick – just under ¼ inch (about .5 cm). Cut out heart shapes in assorted sizes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired. Squish the scraps into a ball and roll them out again to cut more cookies. Keep doing that until all the dough is used up.

Place the cookies on a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes until they just turn golden at some of the edges. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then gently move the cookies with a spatula to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Guten Appetit!

 

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