The Perfect Bite….

Well, it is Monday again. I can’t lie, the weekend went really fast. Thankfully after the storms that we had the weather has been just beautiful. Yesterday we decided to take a little day trip to see the Georgia Guide Stones that are about two hours away from us. It was a gorgeous drive, and while we only spent about five minutes there it was well worth the trip. Anyone that is in the northern Georgia area should definitely make it a point to stop by and see them. They have a really interesting story behind them and I don’t think that a lot of people really know about them. The kids loved seeing them and it is just one more historical site they can add to their ever-growing list.

Today’s recipe is for all the cheese cake lovers out there. It’s easy to make, it has less ingredients then most cheesecakes, and the pieces are “bite size” so they are fun. This is hands down one of my husband’s favorite recipes and when I make it, it doesn’t last long. I’d venture to say that even people who aren’t a fan of cheesecake might like this recipe. It has the flavor, and essence, of a cream cheese danish which is by far one of the best pastries out there!

Is this a healthy recipe? Nope, but it is healthier than your average cheesecake. This recipe uses Sugar 2.0 so you are getting half the sugar and a boost of fiber and I don’t use sour cream in my cheese cake. In your average slice of cheesecake, you will be eating about 300-500 calories when you indulge in a small piece. With this recipe, you are eating 123 calories per slice. If you want to slash the calories a bit more you can always use half of the filling. I have done that and it works just as nicely.

There aren’t any really crazy tips, or tricks, for this recipe. When you chill the dough just chill it while you are mixing up the filling. If you leave it in the fridge for to long it is really hard to roll out. Roll it out on the parchment paper you will be using on the cookie sheet to bake it so the transfer is much easier. Just roll it out into a narrow rectangle so it is touching each end of the paper. When you cut your strips down the sides they don’t have to be perfect. Some will fold over, some won’t. They will slide a little bit during cooking as you’ll notice in the pictures. Make sure you share this impressive dessert with someone special and then sit back, relax, and enjoy!

What is your favorite cheese cake topping?

Cherry Cheesecake Pastry Bites

By Angie Gouchenour

10-12 servings

 

Ingredients

321 Pie Crust

¾ cup white wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar 2.0

4 Tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces

5 Tablespoons ice water

Filling

4 ounces cream cheese – room temperature

5 Tablespoons Sugar 2.0

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg yolk (save the white to wash the top)

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring or extract

10 cherries with glaze from cherry pie filling

Directions

In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and Sugar 2.0 with chilled butter. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your hands leaving pea size pieces of butter

Add the water one Tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together

Wrap the dough in a piece of parchment paper and chill while mixing up the filling

Preheat oven to 420’f

While the dough is chilling combine room temperature cream cheese with sugar, cocoa powder, egg yolk, and vanilla using an electric mixer.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on the parchment paper you will be using to cook it on. Roll it in a long rectangle from one end of the paper to the other

Using a knife make cuts at an angle down each side about the width of a butter knife leaving a strip of dough down the center that isn’t cut

Place the cream cheese filling down the center

Top with approximately 10 cherries down the center of the filling

Gently fold one strip over the filling, alternate sides all the way down

Place the pastry and parchment paper on a cookie sheet, wash top with leftover egg white

Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until lightly browned

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack

Cut into 10-12 slices when cool