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
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.
