Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Conference season is here.  Avery, Sheila, Lucy, and I will be heading to Malice Domestic in Maryland soon.  But first, we'll be visiting Christine at Salt and Pepper Books in Occoquan, Virginia to do a signing from 5pm to 7pm.  If you're in the DC area on April 26th, please stop by to say hi!

Salt & Pepper Books in Occoquan

Now that they're available, I'm still on my strawberry kick.  I had planned to use them in something baked again, but stumbled across a strawberry recipe that is pure genius.  No cooking involved.  You could make these in a beach rental without any special equipment!  You could make these on the hottest day of the year without heating up the kitchen.  You can serve them at parties or bring them to an office function.  Remember my friend who was on a diet?  They are the perfect diet dessert. This brilliant recipe is the brainchild of the folks at California Strawberries.

Who doesn't love strawberry cheesecake, right?  They cleverly stuffed Neufchâtel cheese into a strawberry and rolled the top in graham crackers.  These truly have all the flavor and none of the guilt!  And they're as cute as they can be.  You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate up to six hours, but the graham crackers have to be added just before serving.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (1 package)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
16 whole strawberries
8 graham cracker squares, crushed

Take the Neufchâtel cheese out of the fridge and allow to soften.

Beat together the cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel.

Wash strawberries.  Use a paring knife or a tiny melon baller to scoop out part of the strawberry at the top, taking care to leave a leaf.  The little hole should be about 3/4 inch deep.  Stuff with cheese mixture and roll the top in crushed graham crackers.