Here it is: the deep-fried cheesecake-stuffed strawberry recipe, originally posted at Fia’s Maine Kitchen! These were absolutely everything I hoped they’d be — the cream cheese was gooey and melty but not hot, the berry was warm and juicy, that ripe sweetness brought out by the heat, and the batter was crispy and light with just a hint of sweet. It’s like if doughnuts ate fresh, ripe strawberries that had just glutted themselves on lightly-sweetened cream cheese.

Deep-Fried Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries

1 lb strawberries, generously hulled

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar, plus more to dust

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. self-rising flour

6 oz. beer (I used Dogfish Head’s Tweason’ale, which already has a hint of strawberry)

oil to fry

Combine cream cheese, 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth, and pipe into hollows left from hulling the strawberries. (I use a huller that resembles a tiny melon baller with teeth! It’s great for saving the stem end of tomatoes, too.) Refrigerate for an hour or more. (You could also stick them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, but don’t forget them in there!) In another bowl, combine self-rising flour, 1 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar and one half (6 oz.) of a can or bottle of beer, whisking together until smooth. Heat oil in a deep fryer, or several inches of oil in a deep pan on the stove, to 350°F. Coat each stuffed berry well with the beer batter before dropping into the hot oil, and cook until just lightly golden brown.