Strawberries are delightful.

Especially when they are stuffed full of sweet lemony cream cheese.

Get excited. The summer berries are coming out to play.

Living in So Cal, luckily we have the option of picking up berries at the grocery store, year round, even in the dead of winter (which, by the way, is sometimes warmer than the summer months when June gloom hits). The only downfall to this scenario is that plump, juicy strawberries aren’t available year round. Only in the summer time do these berries really shine, bursting with flavor, signified by that deep red color.

This recipe is pretty spectacular, because who needs an entire cheesecake when you can skip the whole baking part and get just as tasty of results in a few minutes….and bite-sized, I may add.

It doesn’t get any better. I promise you.

Follow these easy steps:

Wash and core yo’ berries. You can save the insides and freeze them for a smoothie…or you can  just eat them as you go. No harm, no foul.

Mix your filling ingredients until smooth. Place in a ziploc with the corner snipped off and pipe filling into each cored strawberry.

These are perfectly fine to eat now, but for goodness sakes, top it with some good old fashioned honey graham cracker crumbs, just like a good old fashioned cheesecake crust would have.

See. Too easy to pass up.

Arrange them on a pretty serving dish and serve. If you are prepping these a few hours ahead of time, cover and put in the refrigerator *without* the graham cracker crumbs. You don’t want them to get soggy!

These bite-sized berries of joy will go quick, so be sure that you make enough! For a party, a back-up supply is always a grand idear.

Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Makes about 20-24 medium stuffed strawberries

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz light cream cheese, softened

4 Tbsp powdered sugar

Graham cracker crumbs, for garnish

20-24 medium-sized strawberries, tops cut off and centers cored

Directions:

Cut the tops off of the strawberries, leaving as much of the berry as possible. With a paring knife, core the centers out of the strawberries and discard (or save for a smoothie!). Set the berries aside, while preparing the filling.

Using softened cream cheese, in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine this with the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar, on medium-high speed until smooth. Place filling into a ziploc bag with the tip snipped off and pipe the filling into each strawberry. After all of them are filled, crush a few graham crackers in a ziploc bag and sprinkle the crumbs over top of the filled strawberries. Serve on a pretty plate, with the option of extra graham crackers

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Chrissy