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Orange and black pepper macerated strawberries
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5 from 3 votes

Simple Orange and Black Pepper Macerated Strawberries

Strawberries soaked in orange liquor (or orange juice) with a smack of flavor from black peppercorns. These simple macerated strawberries are the perfect way to use up not-so-sweet strawberries or slightly under-ripe strawberries. They will also likely be one of the most simple desserts you will ever bring together! Serve with some sweetened whipped cream, or spoon the macerated strawberries on top of some ice cream, and you will be in strawberry heaven.
Prep Time15 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Anytime
Keyword: macerated strawberries, orange liquor strawberries
Servings: 6 serves
Calories: 348kcal

Ingredients

For Macerated Strawberries

  • 2 pints fresh strawberries
  • 5 tablespoons orange liquor or orange juice (or orange juice if preferred)
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns

For Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons sweetener of choice (sugar, stevia or honey)
  • orange zest (optional garnish)

Instructions

Macerated Strawberries

  • Wash the strawberries, remove the green stem, and cut them into bite-sized pieces, place them into a mixing bowl.
  • Meanwhile, mix the orange liquor (or orange juice) and the confectioner's sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved. 
  • Use a mortar and pestle, or a pepper grinder to crack the black peppercorns.
  • Toss the strawberries with the orange mixture until they are evenly coated. Add ¾ of the crushed black pepper, saving the remainder for sprinkling on top when serving. 
  • Chill for about 2 hours, or up to overnight for a more intense flavor.

Whipped Cream

  • Mix the heavy cream, sweetener of choice, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft stiff peaks form. 

To Serve

  • Place the desired amount of strawberries into the glass of your choice. 
  • Top with whipped cream.
  • Garnish the whipped cream topping with a small sprinkle of black pepper and some orange zest (optional).

Notes

Simply replace the orange liquor with orange juice for a family-friendly version.
For a more intense flavor, serve the macerated strawberries at room temperature.
Sweetener Of Choice
Use the sweetener of your choice.
For the orange liquid mixture, you can sub out confectioners sugar or stevia, honey, or maple syrup.
With the whipped cream you can use regular granulated sugar, stevia, honey or maple syrup. You can also leave the sweetener out altogether depending on your preferences.
Storing and Freezing
Macerated strawberries can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
However the longer they are left in the macerating liquid, the softer they will become.
They can also be frozen by draining the liquid and storing them in a vacuum seal bag, or a Ziploc bag, with as much liquid removed as possible.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1219IU | Vitamin C: 100mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg