Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake Cups

When ever I see something miniature it does something to my insides. Seeing tiny baby shoes probably is one of the biggest weaknesses that makes me most gooey inside, and following those wee little accessories, mini cupcakes and delightfully delicious little morsels. Maybe it's because they're so devious and deceiving, making you think you could just pop a whole dozen of them into your mouth over a few minutes without any affect on your waistline. After all, they're just babies! They really couldn't be that fattening. Even five or six of them.
Actually, these little strawberry cheesecake chocolate cups caught my eye and made me smile because they couldn't be all that bad for you. Cream cheese, lemon, strawberry and a little dob of chocolate sprinkled with biscuit crumbs--you can't really go wrong here!They're the perfect petit four for any get together.
 Sadly due to the season, strawberries have been scarce and expensive, but I just had to make them despite all obstacles! Mind you, I ended up having to throw most of the berries out due to sogginess. I highly suggest making these in strawberry season when the berries are plump, firm and full of favour. It's well worth it, and they look super cute and are great little disassembled desserts for any party.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CUPS (Adapted from Zestuous)

100g cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon rind, grated finely
1-2 tbsp caster sugar
12 strawberries
80-100g compound chocolate
1 crushed biscuit (we used a scotch finger)

Combine the cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar. Add enough lemon juice until you reach a smooth and pipe-able consistency. Hull the strawberries, digging deep into the berry to make a sizeable well for the cream cheese mixture.Cut off the very bottoms of the strawberries so that they have a flat end with which to stand. Dry the bottoms of any juices (otherwise the chocolate will not stick). Melt the chocolate in the microwave 20 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals to ensure even melting, until a smooth consistency is reached. Dip the flat end of each berry in chocolate, and place on parchment paper to set.
White the chocolate is setting, fit a piping bag with a small star nozzle and fill with the cream cheese mixture. Pipe the mixture into each strawberry. Top with crushed biscuit. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

NOTES: If you refrigerate the berries after completing them, some of the red from the strawberries may leak into the cream cheese and discolour it.