Sunday, January 2, 2011

Spiced Cream Cheese Bites

Okay, I'll admit that I've grown overly fond of these little fillo cups. And yes, I know the spelling could be "phyllo" but the brand I bought calls them "Fillo Cups" so I'll use that spelling here.

These little things are light and neutral. Not sweet, not savory; ready for anything. They're flaky, yet substantial enough to hold a nice bite of appetizer, snack, or dessert.

So when I saw a dessert recipe on the Kitchen Play contest site for pizzelles filled with cream cheese, I thought that the little fillo shells would make a petite version of the dessert, downsized to one bite.

This contest is sponsored my MySpiceSage.com, and when I looked at the ingredients, I was happy to see that I had almost everything I needed. No goji berries on hand, but otherwise I had everything I needed to riff on the dish.

Spiced Cream Cheese Bites

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3-4 tablespoons honey (to taste)
pinch of salt
Milk or yogurt (as needed) to thin the mixture

Combine cream cheese, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and 3 tablespoons honey, blending thoroughly. Add more honey if you want more sweetness, and more cinnamon, if desired.

Add milk or yogurt as needed, to thin the mixture to a spreadable consistency.

Cover and refrigerate until needed - at least an hour - to allow flavors to blend.

Scoop small dollops of the mixture into the pastry shells. Top with a small garnish of whipped cream. Serve immediately.

This would also make an interesting filling for ginger or pumpkin sandwich cookies, as a spread on graham crackers or as a frosting on spice or pumpkin cookies.
Yum

4 comments:

Cook said...

Looks nice and souds great. This presentation just screams Pastry Bag. If one does not have - or does not want to use - the Big Bag, a perfectly fine substitue can be made from a half sheet of parchment paper. If the end is snipped before filling, standard tips can still be used. Use it and toss it, but don't forget to recover the tip! Some 'tip types' can be cut directly on the bag's paper tip. Those 'Fillo Cups' are great Fun.
-Craig

Cook said...

Hi Donna,
Your previous post recounted the first year history of your wonderful blog. Congratulations! I'm delighted that the traffic is increasing and that you are satisfied. While you do not get many comments, most of your posts do not really require a comment. Two obvious reasons for the growth: First, you have met your obligation to post something new, 'almost' every day and second, your posts are relevant and always worth reading. Thank you and Happy New Year. I have learned a lot.
-Craig

Donna Currie said...

Craig, it's nice to see you back again! Yes, steady growth here is a good thing. My blog is sort of a niche market, so I'm happy with the response over the first year.

Cook said...

As they say... Quality, not quantity.
-Craig

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