I’m no cooking wizard by any means – in fact, anything that takes little prep work is right up my alley of interest when it comes to making magic in the kitchen. If I had more time during the day I’d probably enjoy it more but when you work two jobs, 7 days a week, I often find myself ordering in to save some time.

My 9-5 office job has a fun new ritual for 2017 where we have a “pot luck lunch” once a month; each person brings in a dish he/she made that goes along with the “theme” of the pot luck. This month’s theme is “Small Bites” and I chose to make a very simple, 1-2 bite dessert that mixes the best of both worlds – fruit & cheese.

Fun Fact: I’m actually allergic to strawberries but this recipe looked pretty tasty & I figured sharing would benefit everyone, including myself :]

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

(1) 8 OUNCE PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE

(1/2) CUP CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR

(2) TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

(12) LARGE FRESH STRAWBERRIES

(2) TABLESPOONS GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

* I improvised using Snickerdoodle soft baked cookies instead of graham crackers & doubled up on the amount made

STEP ONE

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth and whipped. Set aside.

You can spoon the mixture into a piping bag for easy insertion; I just used a small teaspoon when the time came to fill the strawberries.

STEP TWO

Line a tray/sheet with wax paper (I used paper towel) to set strawberries on once stems/leaves are cut off and small hole is carved in the middle for cream cheese mixture.

STEP THREE

Crumble graham crackers (or Snickerdoodle cookies) into a bowl to dip cream cheese-filled strawberries into for a crispy topping.

EAT & ENJOY!

These (3) simple steps are guaranteed to lead you to a tasty treat that tastes just like a strawberry cheesecake, in bite-size form!

This recipe is foolproof – you can’t mess it up unless you add too much vanilla…yikes, don’t do that!

There’s plenty of room for improvising – from your crumbled topping choice to dipping your berries in chocolate!

[Linked up w/: Link Up With Lisa, Watch What I’m Wearing, Let It Shine, Mix It Mondays, Visible Monday, How I Spring, Inspire Me Monday, Motivational Monday, Hello Monday, Weekending, Trend Spin, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday, Style Swap Tuesday, Turn It Up Tuesday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Turning Heads Tuesday, On The Edge]