Strawberry Lemonade Tart Bites
Throw out your tart pan and cake servers. Just like layer cakes gave way to cupcakes, the new way to do tangy tarts is in bite-sized pieces that you can pop in your mouth.
You see, I first spotted a recipe for these No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Bites on one of my favorite food blogs, Iowa Girl Eats. (Seriously, my fave. If you haven’t visited Kristin’s blog yet, you’re missing out.)
I’ve made them a few times since then—tweaking the recipe each time to make them more tart, or to use pre-crumbed Graham Crackers for that cookie crust instead of fumbling with a food processor—but no matter what, they come out delicious and are gone in a flash. I suspect their bite-size status has something to do with it. That, and they’re practically a health food. I mean, there’s two kinds of fruit in this, right? (Turn a blind eye to the cream cheese.)
I highly suggest making a batch of these before summer is over.
- ⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites
- Zest of one lemon (approximately 1-2 tablespoons)
- ⅔ cup lemon juice
- One small envelope powdered gelatin (approximately 2½ teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons boiling water
- 12 small strawberries, sliced in half
- In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar and salt. Mix until crumbs are wet. Coat a mini cupcake tin with non-stick spray, then drop around one tablespoon of the graham cracker crust mixture into each cup. Pack down crumbs firmly into the pan with a shot glass or something similar. Chill the pan in the fridge until ready for filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese (make sure it's very soft to avoid lumpy filling), condensed milk and Egg Beaters, and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Microwave a small glass of water until the water is boiling hot. In a small bowl or ramekin, combine the gelatin and three tablespoons of hot water by pouring the water on top of the gelatin powder. Wisk with a fork until dissolved, then let cool for 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream cheese-lemon mixture and mix on slow speed until well incorporated.
- Remove the pan from the fridge, and pour the filling into each mini cup on top of the graham cracker crust. Place the pan back into the fridge and let chill for 8 hours or overnight until the mixture is set.
- When ready, remove the tarts from the pan by gently running a small knife or toothpick around the edge of each cup. Top each tart with half a strawberry and serve.
