Patriotic Treats: Red, White and Blueberry

You picked the short straw and got stuck bringing a dessert to the Memorial Day BBQ. Before you go out and get the store bought sugar cookies and place them next to the homemade appetizers and entrees, that people planned weeks before, try this recipe. At least read it and let it kick around your thoughts for a minute. First of all, it is so easy! Second, it is delicious and third, it will make you the hit of the party, because admit it everyone loves the person that brought the amazing dessert. A memorable dessert gets you invited to more parties. Store bought cookies...not so much.

So it was my turn to draw the coveted (not really) dessert card and with it a determination to bring a dessert that I was proud of walking in with instead of trying to hide it in a bag until it was time to serve. I got inspiration from a picture on Pinterest from the website the-girl-who-ate-everything.com of a Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberry. I decided to take it further with my own Cheesecake recipe, cutting the strawberries in half to make them bite-size and adding a blueberry to go with the red, white and blue theme of Memorial Day.

All I can say is that when everyone is stuffing their face with dessert and it's completely quiet, you know you have a winner. And this recipe is a winner. The fluffy cheesecake with the sweetness of the strawberry and tartness of the blueberry is a perfect marriage. And if the lemon juice seems a bit strange to you in the cheesecake mixture, please just try it once for me, because it brings a fresh hint to the mixture that makes a big difference in the taste.

Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Bites

Serves 12

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Rest time: 1 hour

Cheesecake Mixture

I package Jell-O No Bake Original Cheesecake
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
¾ cup cream cheese
½ ricotta cheese
1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Juice of ½ lemon

4 lb strawberries

6 oz blueberries

Directions:

Prepare a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.

Clean the strawberries and then pull off the leafy top, cut in half and then trim the tops cutting in a V-shape and clean out the center. The smaller ones do not need to be cut in half but instead just trimming the top and cleaning out the center of the strawberry is adequate.  

In a mixing bowl add the Jell-O No Bake Cheesecake mix and 1 ½ cup of milk as directed on the box. Mix for 3 minutes with a hand mixer and then add the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese and ricotta cheese all at room temperature as well as the lemon juice and vanilla extra at a low speed incorporating all the ingredients.Transfer the mixture to a freezer size zip lock bag and cut the corner when ready to fill the strawberries.

Fill the strawberries with the cheesecake mixture and then place a blueberry in the center. Place the strawberries on the prepared cookie sheet and then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

Take out the strawberry cheesecake bites out of the refrigerator and place on a serving plate for presentation 15-20 minutes prior to serving.

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