Sometimes I’m lucky and a recipe idea works out the first time I try it. That was not the case with strawberry cheesecake truffles. Back when I made an assortment of truffles for Kelsey’s virtual bridal shower, strawberry cheesecake was the first flavor that came to mind and I knew I had to make them. I wasn’t totally sure where to start, but I’ve seen cheesecake pops all over the place so I thought I could adapt that recipe by adding strawberry puree and go from there. Though it seemed like a good idea, the execution did not translate well at all. The fruit puree must have added too much liquid and the mixture was next to impossible to form and dip. I did manage a few but suffice it to say, that recipe was not blog-ready.
The frustration was enough to make me put the idea aside for a while. When I finally revisited the concept, I decided to start from scratch. As much as I love the idea of using actual cheesecake for the center of the truffles, it didn’t go well and truth be told, that method was more complicated than I typically like truffles to be. This time around I opted for a mixture of cream cheese, graham cracker crumbs and finely chopped strawberries to provide the same flavors of strawberry cheesecake while being simpler and easier to work with. Bingo! This worked like a charm and I was very happy with the final product. Because of the juices in the berries, I recommend making these within a day of when you plan to serve them.
Oh, also a quick housekeeping note – I never announced the winner of the Jessie Steele apron giveaway last week. I was out of town and it totally slipped my mind. Sorry for the delay! The winner is Ferreh who said, “My favorite apron is the EVA-Coated Summer Lemons Gigi Apron. Would totally match my kitchen!” Congratulations Ferreh! Stay tuned for another giveaway coming up this Friday :)
