Creamy Strawberry Shortcake Cups

A fruity and creamy treat for a variety of occasions! These no-bake pudding cups also make a stunning presentation. 

Hi cousins—I’m back with another no-bake dessert! Also, another parfait-style layered dessert that looks almost as good as it tastes. Instead of using shortcake or angel food cake in these creamy cups, I use vanilla Oreo cookies for texture and crunch. The Cool Whip and pudding create stunning layers. Freeze-dried strawberries provide a sweet-tart contrast, but there are fresh strawberries too! 

The History of Strawberry Shortcake

It all began with the invention of shortcake in the 15^th century. This was a crumbly biscuit-type cake that originated in Britain. However, they were sweeter and softer than standard biscuits. 

Shortcake was served in a variety of ways, with the first published Strawberry Shortcake recipe dating back to the late 1800s. It was a simple recipe that called for shortcake, fresh strawberries, and sweetened cream. 

Over the years, the recipe evolved, including the US version with sugar-sweetened strawberries and whipped cream became a go-to summer dessert popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Today you can find strawberry shortcake made with traditional biscuits, poundcake, and angel food cake. You can also find elevated and inventive versions, including cupcakes, ice cream, and meringue-topped variations.

These strawberry shortcake pudding cups are individual servings, and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. 

Strawberry Shortcake Pudding Cups Ingredients and Shopping List

• Double Stuffed Golden Vanilla Oreos—20 cookies provide crunch, while the double stuffed filling adds to the sweetness and creaminess. 
• Freeze-dried strawberries—they provide a tangy strawberry flavor for a bit of contrast. You’ll need a 1/2 cup. 
• Instant Jell-o Cheesecake Pudding—2 standard-sized 3.4-ounce packets for the creamy layers. 
• Cold half & half—half & half is best, but you can use your milk of choice.
  Fresh strawberries—it wouldn’t be a strawberry shortcake without 1 1/2 cups of diced strawberries. 
• Cool Whip—to top to perfection.  

Supplies Needed

• Food processor
• Measuring cups
• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Mixing spoons 
• Medium piping bag with star tip
• 4 6-ounce dessert cups

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Pudding Cups: Recipe Tips & FAQs

How to Crush the Oreo Cookies Without a Food Processor? 

Don’t stress if you don’t have a food processor, as you can crush your vanilla Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries with a blender or oversized zip-top bag.

• Blender—every blender is different, so you may only be able to put 5 or 6 cookies in at a time. If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix you can put all 20 cookies in at the same time. Pulse on high until you have crumbs. 
• Freezer bag—a freezer bag works best because it has a larger surface area. If you only have sandwich or liter-sized bags, you will have to crumb your Oreos in batches. Pop your cookies in the bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and roll with a rolling pin. If you don’t have a rolling pin, use the back side of a measuring cup or large spoon.  

Why Use Freeze-Dried Strawberries?

In this recipe, freeze-dried strawberries add a bit of a crunch. While each brand of freeze-dried strawberries varies, most have a tangy sweet-tart flavor. However, some brands are more sweet than tangy. Choose whichever you prefer! 

How to Select The Perfect Fresh Strawberries

There’s nothing worse than hoping for a sweet and juicy strawberry and ending up with a sour or flavorless strawberry instead. Sometimes it’s simply the luck of the draw, but these tips will help you pick the perfect strawberries.

• Color—choose strawberries that are bright red, as dull or white strawberries have less flavor.
• Firm—strawberries should look and feel firm. If they are soft or bruised, they will spoil quickly. 
• Stems—most of the stems should be bright green in color as they fade the longer they are off the vine.  
• Shiny—shiny strawberries are perfectly ripe. They lose their shine the longer they are off the vine. 

Pro Tip—don’t forget to look at all 4 sides of the strawberry pint, as the strawberries on the bottom may be bruised. 

What is The Fastest Way to Dice Strawberries?

This recipe is fast and easy, but to make it even faster and easier, dice your strawberries with a Multi-Purpose Chopper.  

I use this chopper almost every day to slice, dice, shred, and grate cheese, fruits, and vegetables. It delivers even slices or cubes, and when it comes to dicing your strawberries—it dices 3 or 4 at a time in seconds! Just be sure to remove the stems first. 

Your perfectly diced strawberries fall directly into the attached plastic container. Just swap out the slicing attachment for other cutting techniques. 

How Far in Advance Can I Prepare This Recipe?

While these strawberry shortcake cups are safe to eat for up to 3 days when stored in the fridge, I suggest making it within 3 hours or so of serving it. It will still taste great if you make it earlier in the day, or eat it a day or two later, but you will lose some of the cookie crunch.

If you make it sooner or have leftovers, cover the cups with plastic wrap. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cups Recipe Variations

Feel free to make this recipe your own with the variations below:

• Oreos—if you are a chocolate lover, consider using chocolate double-stuffed Oreos instead.
• Pudding—feel free to use a different pudding flavor, such as coconut cream, chocolate, or banana. 
• Fruit—feel free to use different fruit or a combination of fruits, including blueberries, raspberries, defrosted cherries, or bananas.
• Extra layer—consider adding a layer of diced pound cake or angel food cake in the center. You’ll just need a larger dessert cup.
• Trifle—double or triple this recipe to make it in a trifle bowl instead of as individual servings. 

Other Cups, Trifles, and No-Bake Recipes

If baking isn’t your thing or you are looking for other fast and easy no-bake desserts, consider the options below. A few require the stovetop, but none require an oven. 

• Strawberry Banana Pudding Trifle
• Vanilla Wafer Banana Pudding
• No Bake Pina Colada Cheesecake 
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
• No Bake Butterfinger Pie
• No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
• No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Lasagna

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