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Canada Day is quickly approaching this Friday and I’ve been busy planning a few recipes for our BBQ get together. I love holidays because they challenge me to put on my culinary thinking cap and create festive recipes that highlight what we love about the holiday.
For Canada Day, it’s all about the red and white, of course!
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Any excuse to buy more local strawberries is a-ok in my books. I may need an intervention.
My goal was to create a quick and easy dessert recipe that could be thrown together in no time, but still taste delicious! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen when I have guests to entertain. These Strawberry Cheesecake Bites are the perfect dessert to whip up, allowing you to keep your cool even on a hot day.
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To make the Strawberry Cheesecake Bites, you start with a Graham Cracker Base. This is the ‘crust’ of the cheesecake!
I used this graham cracker recipe and I bought a Maple Leaf cookie cutter from Golda’s Kitchen.
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The recipe made about 13-15 maple leafs, so you might want to double the recipe if making for a large group.
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There are a couple reasons why I used graham crackers for the base:
1) They can be made ahead of time
2) They are very firm and crunchy and won’t get soggy from the toppings
Time saving tip: If you are really tight on time, just whip out a box of graham crackers! They will have the same effect in a pinch.
After that, I whipped up the vanilla bean cheesecake frosting layer!
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I grabbed a tub of non-dairy cream cheese and sifted in about 1/2 cup-3/4 cup of organic icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy and add in a couple scraped vanilla beans or a dash of fresh lemon juice.
I originally tried to make this using maple syrup (so Canadian!), but it made it too runny and didn’t work. I wouldn’t suggest using liquid sweetener in this case. However, you could use some Maple Extract for a fun kick of maple in the frosting.
Once you whip up your cream cheese layer, just dice some strawberries and layer away!
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Add a tablespoon of the cream cheese frosting and then sprinkle with strawberries and a pinch of sugar. That’s all she wrote!
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Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
Inspired by Hungry Foodies Pharmacy.
Ingredients:
- Homemade or store-bought graham crackers
- 1 (8-oz) tub non-dairy cream cheese
- 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup icing sugar (confectioner’s)
- 2 vanilla beans or 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and diced
- Sugar, for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Make your homemade graham crackers in advance or simply purchase graham crackers from the store.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add the icing sugar to taste. Add in a couple scraped vanilla beans and maple extract or a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice if you prefer. Store in fridge. You can also make this in advance!
3. Hull a pint of strawberries and dice.
4. Lay your graham crackers onto a large serving plate and spread with cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle on diced strawberries and sugar.
Notes: The homemade graham cracker recipe made about 13-15 maple leafs, so you may want to double the batch. I had leftover cream cheese frosting, so 1 tub should cover about 25 maple leafs depending on how much you use.
Be sure to bake your graham crackers a couple minutes longer (I think I baked mine for 17-18 minutes) so they were extra crispy once cooled. That ensures that the cream cheese frosting won’t make the cracker get soggy (it will get a bit soft after 20-30 minutes, but not too much).
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The great thing about this recipe is that it is easily adapted for the Fourth of July!
And then you can invite me over for your party. ;)
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Just use store-bought or homemade graham crackers (cut into rectangles or stars), and add a few blueberries on top! If you are feeling really creative you could use the berries to create the flag on the cracker.
I’m really happy with how these turned out! They are light enough for summer, but still feel like a fun dessert.
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Anyone want to help me eat these things? :)
These are so so pretty Angela!
These look great. I just wish there was a vegan cream cheese without soya. I know there are recipes for cashew cream cheese out there, but they just don’t taste very cream-cheesey to me.
These look great!! Super easy too. Strawberry Cheesecake treats are really popular this summer! I’m working on a recipe with strawberry cheesecake too. So great for using up those local strawberries!
Ooo these look delicious! Perfect for the 4th of July!
They could even fit for the First of August (Switzerland’s day)! :D I think we even have a cross-shaped cookie cutter… :P
haha that would be amazing.
I’ll help a sista out ;) …more like me eating and you wondering where they all went though
AWESOME. These will be in our house for our 4th of July celebration!! Can’t wait.
I would LOVE to help eat them! I love anything with cream cheese icing :D These look great – and I love how festive they are:)
HOW CUTE that you made the base into the leaves!! I do not know much about Canada day.. but I hope you enjoy all of the BBQs and good eats! I am sure your cheesecakes will be a hit!!
These make me want to be Canadian! I can’t make your recipes fast enough! :)
Angela, these are SO CUTE! I might just have to make these. I bet you could also macerate the strawberries in the maple syrup, for extra gooey Canadian goodness.
yes you certainly could! good thinkin
Definitely know what I am bringing to our Canada Day weekend get away! This is great!
I will help you! I work the evening of Canada Day though, so can you save me one? haha :D
ummm not promising anything! Maybe if I hide one in the very back of the freezer… ;)
Mmmmmm! Scrumptious looking!
These will be great for the 4th of July! I’m thinking….stars!
I’m sorry, after the words homemade graham cracker base, my brain just kind of went Charlie Brown teacher on me…”wah wah..wah waaaaah.” Must make these pronto!
Oh my goodness– the maple leaves are TOO cute!!! Love these!
Those look gorgeous, and even more delicious!
these look so simple but yet so yummy! i can’t wait to try these out. must get my hands on some fresh strawberries now.
These are really pretty cookies! Summery desserts are just my favorite. The addition of ripe berries makes any dessert ten fold better. I’m on a serious hunt for the perfect 4th of july cookie to make, I think I’m getting closer with these hah.
Oh girl I am so inspired now! These look beautiful and SO yummy!