I know we talked about this already, but it’s Strawberry season (!).
Unfortunately (/fortunately?) it’s also the season of sporadic thunderstorms that creep up on you unannounced.
The skies have me a little terrified to go running recently since these dark clouds come out of nowhere I don’t have a waterproof case on my phone in the event that I get stuck in a downpour.
But that’s Ok, because there’s something so… cozy about a thunderstorm in the early evening, when it rolls in and blacks out the sun and whips the trees into a frenzy, I can’t help but want to hole up in the kitchen.
The thunder starts grumbling in the distance and I know it’s only moments before the rain starts to come down like Niagara Falls (and I invariably panic about whether or not I left my car windows down).
This is my favorite time to bake something sweet.
I never feel guilty about being inside in the summertime when the weather outside is awful. It’s just so nice to be in the kitchen with a bowl of some sort of cookie dough or cake batter, an oven preheating, and my family in the room beside me settling down to take advantage of the weather in their own way and pop in a movie that will inevitably distract me and make the baking process take 3x as long.
It’s Ok. It’s cozy.
I love cozy.
I also love recipes that look more complicated than they really are.
These cheesecake bites are that kind. The “cups” are a basic sugar cookie dough molded partially around the outside of a mini-muffin pan tin. The rich, (no-bake, no box-filling) cheesecake filling is absurdly easy to whip together, and the strawberries & blueberries (or whatever fruit best suits your fancy), well all you have to do is cut and arrange.
Sugary, crisp cookie crust cup. Rich cheesecake filling. Fresh fruit to top it all off. Minimal assembly.
Next time a thunderstorm starts rolling in, you know what to do.
Ingredients
Cookie cups
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese softened, 3 packages
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Fruit topping
- Fruit of your choice I chose strawberries and blueberries
Instructions
Cookie cups
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In mixer combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
- Add in egg, stir until combined.
- Gradually add in flour and baking soda. Stir until dough clumps together.
- Grease the protruding cups of a mini-muffin tin.
- Roll dough into 1-inch sized balls, and press over the back end of a cup of the muffin tray. Spread so that dough covers the bottom and a small amount reaches over all sides of the cup.*
- Bake on 350 degrees for 7 minutes, or until the "rim" of the cookie cups start to turn golden brown.
Cheesecake filling
- In stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Stir in sugar and vanilla, beat until creamy.
- Beat in heavy cream, beat on medium-high for 1-2 minutes
- Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/2 cup sour cream.
- Refrigerate until cookie cups have cooled completely and are ready to be filled/served.
- Up to a few hours before serving, pipe (or spoon) cheesecake filling in to completely cooled cookie cups. Top with desired fruit and serve.
Notes
Cookie cups should be relatively shallow, when molding them, keep in mind that they will stretch as they bake. If the dough stretches too far (to the base of the cup) it is fine to trim while the cookies are still warm.
Rumana says
November 11, 2018 at 1:08 pmHi Sam, thank you so much for sharing the recipe. They sure look yummy. A question would it still be fresh and tasty if I was to make the cookie cups the day before serving?
Sam says
November 11, 2018 at 9:11 pmHi Rumana! Yes you can make the cookie cups a day ahead of time and they will be just fine. ☺️
Sarah says
April 29, 2015 at 4:46 amNot only do they look yummy, but they taste yummy too! I stumbled upon this site while browsing imgur and coincidentally I also had to bake something for a school project. My family loved it, my teacher loved it, and I loved it. Thank you so much for posting it online!
Sam says
April 29, 2015 at 9:24 amThank you so much for letting me know how they turned out! I’m so glad that everyone loved them! 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
June 18, 2014 at 10:54 amI just love thunderstorms. So cozy and comfy be bundled up inside when it’s pouring outside. We don’t get too many of them in California, but you can bet that when we do the whole town stops. We aren’t used to adverse weather. haha!
These cookie cups with cheesecake and fruit sound delicious! Perfect little 2 bite dessert. What a great idea! Also, how perfect would these be for 4th of July? The red white and blue? Love it!
Sam says
June 18, 2014 at 3:07 pmThanks Natalie! I wasn’t even thinking about the color combo for 4th of July but you’re so right, that would be perfect! 🙂
dina says
June 18, 2014 at 10:20 amthey look like yummy bites!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
June 18, 2014 at 7:15 amThese look insanely good! I love sugar cookies… I love cheesecake… I love fresh berries. Combining them all into one epic dessert? #winning Seriously, YUM!
Sam says
June 18, 2014 at 9:46 amThanks Chris!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext.com says
June 18, 2014 at 5:00 amThese cheesecake cookie cups look super delicious, Sam! Love the idea!
Sam says
June 18, 2014 at 9:43 amThank you Jess! 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
June 17, 2014 at 10:42 pmYum, these look delicious. What a great way to spend waiting for a storm to pass. We get these afternoon rains that usually force us back inside.
Sam says
June 18, 2014 at 9:43 amThanks Cindy! Yeah, our forecast for the next few days is nothing but scattered thunderstorms.
dina says
June 17, 2014 at 7:44 pmthey look yummy!
Sam says
June 17, 2014 at 9:08 pmThank you! 🙂
Norma |Allspice and Nutmeg says
June 17, 2014 at 1:07 pmI like the simplicity of these and delicious!
Sam says
June 17, 2014 at 1:08 pmThank you Norma!
Kelly - LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE says
June 17, 2014 at 10:21 amHi Sam! I’m so pumped it’s strawberry season too! I LOVE to go strawberry picking. It’s probably one of the highlights of summer for me. Pick one, eat one 😉 Plus biting into a freshly picked one, it’s 100x more red and flavorful! Love this cheesecake cup recipe with all that fruit. Who doesn’t love cheesecake. I adore mini anything because it takes so much guilt away. Thanks for sharing, first time on your blog. Lovely dear!
Sam says
June 17, 2014 at 11:01 amThanks for checking out my blog Kelly! You are so right, nothing better than a freshly picked strawberry! I’m totally with you on the mini sized desserts… only then I eat about a dozen of them so I end up feeling guilty anyway! 🙂