June makes me hungry for fresh fruit of the season and number one on my list is strawberries. We had a dairy farm so the thought of fresh strawberries with cream brings wonderful memories of strawberries and cream. As a teenager who lived NW Washington, our strawberries were so sweet. We would pick berries and then have fresh Jersey milk or cream and sprinkle a little sugar. So, when I had to make something for a Sunday night gathering, I bought some “Michigan Grown” strawberries and created this recipe.
Oma’s Strawberry Delight
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice room temperature
- 14 oz can Sweeten Condensed Milk I like the Fat Free
- 2/3 cup Strawberry Jam blended smooth in a food processor
- 8 oz container Whipped Topping Light or fat free
- 2 3.4 oz White Chocolate Pudding
- 3 cups milk (for the pudding)
- 1 quart fresh strawberries Sliced in half
- 50 vanilla Wafers* Gluten Free ones are perfect for this recipe
Instructions
Pudding
- Mix the pudding until dissolved and let setup in refrigerator. Once the pudding has firmed up, fold in one cup of the whipped topping.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese and lemon juice. (HINT: Best to break up the cream cheese with the mixer and slowly add the lemon juice, otherwise you will have a clumpy mixture.) Next add the jam, whip until smooth and then add the sweetened condensed milk.
Final Assembly
- In an 11×13 pan, line the bottom of the pan with 1/2 of the wafers. Next pour the cream cheese mixture. Add another layer of wafers and pour the Pudding mixture over them. Finally, spread the remaining whipped topping over the pudding mixture. Top with the fresh strawberry halves. Chill and serve.
Notes
*You can also use Pepperidge Farms Chessmen Cookies OR Ladies Fingers would also be good. I’ve made this a day before and it sets up nicely. This recipe serves a large crowd, so be aware. Half version fits into an 8 x 8 inch pan.