Ingredients

Batter

• 100 g sugar
• 43 g all-purpose flour
• 68 g egg whites
• 0.60 g vanilla
• 0.75 g salt
• 57 g butter, melted and cooled
• ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries, optional

Filling

• 420 g Tree Top Strawberry Fruit Prep
• 39 g sugar
• 6 g cornstarch
• 90 g water
• 116 g cream cheese, softened
• 50 g sugar
• 58 g heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan.  Add water and puree.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Cover and chill.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and cooled berry mixture until well blended.  Fold in whipped cream.  Add food coloring if desired.  Chill.

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt until smooth.  Whisk in butter until blended.

Preparing four cookies at a time, drop batter by 1-1/2 teaspoonful 4-inches apart onto prepared pan.  Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

Immediately remove one cookie at a time from parchment and form into a tube around a greased, clean round wooden dowel.  Press lightly to seal; hold until set, about 20 seconds.

Remove cookie from dowel; place on waxed paper to cool.  Continue with remaining cookies.  If cookies become too cool to shape, return to oven for 1 minute to soften.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Just before serving, pipe or spoon the filling into cookie shells.  Dip the ends of cookies into chopped strawberries and additional sugar.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield:  about 2 dozen