Does it get any better than simple & luscious whipped cream?! It’s light and airy, slightly sweet, and oh so creamy! The possibilities are endless, when it comes to what to put it on…

• Pie
• Coffee
• Ice cream
• Strawberries
• On a spoon, straight outta the bowl, as soon as you’re done making it!

Yes and yum to all of the above! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Do you want a simple dessert that everyone will like?

Fresh whipped cream and strawberries are a perfect match!

Besides being so simple and delicious to make, whipped cream is also lower in calories than you may think. It is made with heavy whipping cream. However, you are adding volume by whipping it up. That helps dispense those calories.

There is only 30 calories in a tablespoon! Dollop a tablespoon on top of your morning coffee. So much better for you than those commercial creamers!

Only 118 calories in 1/4 cup! Add a a cup of strawberries, and you have a dessert for only 164 calories.

If counting calories isn’t your thing, pile it on top of your ice cream sundae!

Do you know how easy it is to make whipped cream?

It’s so easy, my friend! Plus, the taste and texture of the real deal is so much better than cool whip. Yes, it’s “easier” to buy a tub of whipped topping, but check out the ingredients:

Whipped Topping: water, hydrogenated vegetable oil (including coconut and palm kernel oils), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skimmed milk, light cream (less than 2%), sodium caseinate, natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, sodium polyphosphate, and beta carotene (as a colouring).

There are a few brands in the can ready to spray. They are a little bit better, but still has the emulsifiers and stabilizers added in. You don’t want to put “food products” into your body that you can’t pronounce, right? Go with the real deal! You will thank yourself, and your friends and family will too.

Freshly made whipped cream has 3 ingredients:

1. Heavy Whipping Cream
2. Powdered Sugar
3. Vanilla (or any other flavoring you choose)

Other Flavoring Options

Vanilla is the typical flavoring that is added to whipped cream. However, if you feel like D.Y.O.T. (Doing Your Own Thing), there are a slew of options for flavoring that decadent whipped cream. Here are just a few:

• Bailey’s Irish Cream
• Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
• Limoncello (lemon liqueur)
• Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
• Rum
• Bourbon
• Almond Extract
• Lemon Extract
• Orange Extract
• Peppermint
• Cinnamon (1/4 tsp)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice (1/4 tsp)

Helpful hints when making whipped cream:

1. ALWAYS chill your bowl and whisk (or beater)! This will keep the cream nice and cold and will help whip it up faster. Just stick your bowl (preferably metal) and whisk into the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before you start.
2. Make sure your cream is really cold. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
3. A stand up mixer with a whisk attachment is best. You can make whipped cream with a beater(s), and a hand mixer too. Or you can go old school and whisk it by hand. Kudos to you if you try this. My arm would crap out after a few minutes. If it’s all you got, grab your partner, kids, or anyone in your house with an opposable thumb and put them to work. Make them earn that whipped cream!
4. If your mixer has 10 speeds, don’t go above a 4 in the early stages. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with 10 speeds. If you go over 4 or 5, you may send cream flying about.

How to Make Whipped Cream

Here’s how easy it is to make this yummy treat:

1. Chill bowl & whisk

2. Pour cream into chilled bowl. Start mixer on 2 or 3, until it gets frothy and bubbly.

3. Stop the mixer to add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Start it back on a 2 until it gets incorporated. Then, bump it up to speed 3 or 4.

4. Scrap down the bowl to incorporate any powdered sugar on the sides.

5. Turn back on your mixer to speed 4. Keep an eye on. You will start to see the path of the whisk in the cream.

6. In conclusion, when you can pull your whisk out, and there are soft peaks, that hold their shape. You made fresh whipped cream…good job!

The perfect, low calorie feels like you’re cheating on your healthy lifestyle, dessert: Luscious whipped cream and fresh strawberries, topped with chocolate shavings. Oh yeah! Whip up this recipe below. Cut up your strawberries, place in a small dessert dish. Dollop the whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Take a chocolate bar, using a vegetable peeler, shave a few swipes of the chocolate bar over the whipped cream. Your partner, your kids, yourself will love it, and love you for making it!

What to Serve Whipped Cream With

There are lots of things to serve whipped cream with. Here are few suggestions:

• Fudgy Brownie Bites
• Fresh Berries
• On top of Hot Coffee
• Fruit Salad
• Protein Waffles

Or, let’s face it, right out of the bowl is good too. (No judgement here).

Thanks for reading along. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you would like more healthy recipes like this one sent right to your inbox, sign up for my Recipe Drops. They’re always FREE.