RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
February Pick: Desserts

Strawberries with Cocoa Mascarpone Dip

Fresh strawberries for dipping into a thick, velvety mascarpone whipped with bloomed cocoa and vanilla, finished with toasted hazelnuts.

Why you'll love Strawberries with Cocoa Mascarpone Dip

Strawberries and cocoa are the flavors of Valentine's Day, and this is a dessert to share. A bowl of dark, silky cocoa mascarpone sits in the middle of the table with a pile of ripe strawberries around it, and everyone dips. It takes 20 minutes, most of it waiting for the cocoa cream to cool.

The cocoa gets bloomed first. Whisked into warm cream, cocoa powder dissolves completely and releases much more of its flavor than it does stirred in dry, and the warm cream dissolves the allulose at the same time. Once it has cooled, it whisks into cold mascarpone and thickens into a dip that tastes deep and chocolatey with only cocoa, cream, and vanilla.

The portion is built around the dip. Mascarpone and cream bring real fat, and toasted hazelnuts scattered over the top bring crunch and a little protein, so each strawberry comes with something rich to slow it down.

Quick overview: This Strawberries with Cocoa Mascarpone Dip takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 38 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 1/4 cup dip with 5 or 6 strawberries. You'll need a saucepan and a skillet.

Jump to recipe

Strawberries around a bowl of cocoa mascarpone dip with hazelnuts
Prep 15 minCook 8 minChill 15 minTotal 38 minServes 6Serving about 1/4 cup dip with 5 or 6 strawberriesYou'll need Saucepan, Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream Label: cream, with no gums or carrageenan
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Label: cocoa, and nothing else
  • 3 tbsp allulose Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • a pinch of fine sea salt
  • 8 oz mascarpone, cold Label: cream, or cream and milk, with citric acid and nothing else
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts
  • 1 lb ripe strawberries, with their green tops

Instructions

  1. Toast the hazelnuts: Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skins crack and the nuts smell toasty. Tip them into a clean kitchen towel and rub them together to loosen most of the skins, then chop them finely.
  2. Bloom the cocoa: Whisk the cream, cocoa, allulose, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and steaming and the cocoa has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep it below a boil. Warm liquid draws out the cocoa's flavor and melts away the dry, dusty taste of raw powder.
  3. Cool it: Scrape the cocoa cream into a bowl and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes, until it feels cool to the touch. Warm cocoa cream would melt the mascarpone and leave the dip thin.
  4. Whip the dip: Whisk the cold mascarpone with the vanilla seeds in a bowl for a few seconds to loosen it. Add the cooled cocoa cream and whisk just until thick, smooth, and evenly dark, about 30 seconds. Stop as soon as it holds soft swirls, since mascarpone turns grainy if it is beaten too long.
  5. Get the berries ready: Rinse the strawberries with their tops on and dry them very well on a towel. Leaving the tops on gives you a handle for dipping, and dry berries hold the dip instead of letting it slide off.
  6. Serve: Spoon the dip into a small bowl, scatter the hazelnuts over the top, and set it on a platter surrounded by the strawberries.

Storage and leftovers

The dip keeps in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Whisk it for a few seconds to smooth it before serving.

Keep the strawberries unwashed in the refrigerator and rinse them just before serving, since wet berries soften and spoil quickly. Store the toasted hazelnuts in a jar at room temperature for up to a week.

Variations

  • Mocha: Whisk 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder or 1 tablespoon of strong brewed coffee into the warm cream with the cocoa.
  • Orange: Whisk 1/2 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest into the finished dip and serve it with orange segments alongside the berries.
  • Raspberries and cherries: Serve the dip with raspberries and pitted fresh cherries when strawberries are past their best.
  • Parfait cups: Layer sliced strawberries and the dip in small glasses and top with the hazelnuts.

Notes and tips

  • Check the cocoa label: Unsweetened cocoa powder should read cocoa and nothing else. Dutch-process cocoa gives a darker, mellower dip, and natural cocoa a brighter, fruitier one; both work.
  • Check the mascarpone label: Mascarpone should read cream, or cream and milk, with citric acid. Skip brands that add gums or stabilizers.
  • Taste for sweetness: Strawberries vary. Taste the dip with a berry, and whisk in another teaspoon of allulose if your fruit is tart.
  • Choose ripe berries: Look for strawberries that are red all the way to the shoulders and smell sweet. White shoulders mean they were picked early and will stay tart.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Strawberries are on the low-glycemic list, with fiber, vitamin C, and a natural sweetness that cocoa makes taste even richer.
  • Fruit is always paired with protein or fat on RESET360. Here mascarpone and cream bring fat and the hazelnuts bring both, which slows how quickly the berries' sugar reaches your blood.
  • Unsweetened cocoa carries the deep flavor of chocolate along with plant compounds called flavanols, and a little allulose is all the sweetening it needs.
  • Dipping slows you down. Each berry is one bite, eaten one at a time, which leaves room to notice when you have had enough.
  • As you eat, notice the cool, juicy berry and the dark, creamy dip together, and take the last few bites slowly: check whether a handful of berries feels like enough, and whether you stay settled through the evening with no pull toward something else sweet.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Strawberries with Cocoa Mascarpone Dip? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

How is this different from a chocolate dip?

The chocolate flavor comes from unsweetened cocoa powder, bloomed in cream and sweetened with a little allulose. The mascarpone gives it the thick, silky texture of melted chocolate.

Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?

Yes. Use full-fat cream cheese, softened, with a label of milk, cream, cultures, and salt. The dip will be tangier and a little firmer.

Why allulose?

Allulose dissolves well, tastes close to sugar, and RESET360 uses it because it leaves blood sugar steady. It is a little less sweet than sugar, so taste and adjust.

Can I make it ahead?

Make the dip up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Toast the hazelnuts ahead too, and rinse the berries just before serving.

You might also like

Tags: February Pick, Desserts, Italian-Inspired