For those who love cheese, cream cheese is a dream come true. Put it on a bagel, smear it on bread and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal. But that is not all, as there are many ways to eat cream cheese, some of it more unique than others.
Here are 7 unique ways to eat and enjoy cream cheese:
- Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Ingredients:
Cream cheese:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brownie:
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3⁄4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- ¼ cup natural cocoa powder
Method:
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and line it with foil. Grease the foil.
- To make the cream cheese mixture, in a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk together in a small bowl until evenly blended and smooth.
- In a saucepan, warm the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring often, just until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugars. Whisk in the eggs slowly, beating well. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Sift the flour and cocoa over the chocolate mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir in until just blended.
- Pour about 3/4 of the brownie batter into the prepared dish, spreading it into an even layer. Drop half the cream cheese mixture, in spoonfuls, over the batter. Top with the remaining brownie batter, in spoonfuls, and then the remaining cream cheese filling. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the brownie batter and cream cheese filling, creating a marbled effect.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost completely clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes in the dish, then remove from the dish using the foil to lift them out; let cool completely on a wire rack.
2. Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
- 1 cup panko
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 (10-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 thin slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces)
- 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced into 3-by-1-inch planks
- 8 toothpicks
Method:
- Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.
- Place the panko and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a shallow dish, season with salt and pepper, and use your hands to combine evenly. Place the Dijon and the remaining 4 teaspoons of oil in another shallow dish and whisk to combine. Set both dishes aside.
- Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. Place 1 chicken piece on a work surface, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or the bottom of a pan; transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
- Lay the chicken on a cutting board and season both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the pieces so the narrowest ends face you. Place 1 piece of prosciutto on top of a piece of chicken vertically, and a second piece perpendicular, making a cross pattern. Center a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto horizontally. Fold both pieces of prosciutto over the cheese to completely cover and enclose it. Fold the bottom of the chicken up over the cheese-and-prosciutto bundle to enclose it, then roll tightly into a cylinder. Use 2 toothpicks to secure the roll; set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken, prosciutto, and cheese.
- Dip 1 chicken piece in the Dijon mixture and roll to coat it in a thin, even layer. Then place it in the panko, roll to coat, and press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to adhere. Place the breaded chicken on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken cylinders, spacing them evenly on the sheet.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 45 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and serve immediately.
3. CC&J (Cream Cheese and Jelly)
Ingredients:
- 4 (1/2-inch-thick, 3-1/2-by-3-1/2-inch-long) slices white sandwich bread
- 1/3 cup cream cheese
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), at room temperature
Method:
- Place the bread slices on a work surface. Equally divide and spread the cream cheese on 2 of the bread slices. Equally divide and spread the strawberry jam on the remaining 2 bread slices. Close the sandwiches so that each sandwich has cream cheese and jam; set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Meanwhile, evenly divide and spread the remaining tablespoon of butter on the tops of the sandwiches.
- Place the sandwiches in the pan butter-side up. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and cook until the other sides are golden brown and the filling is warmed through, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to plates and serve.
4. Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients:
- 12 jalapeño peppers
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Method:
- Heat the oven to broil and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
- Lay a jalapeño on your work surface so that it sits flat without rolling. Make two cuts forming a “T” by first slicing down the middle of the chile lengthwise from stem to tip, then making a second cut perpendicular to the first about 1/4 inch from the stem, slicing only halfway through the chile (be careful not to cut off the stem end completely). Carefully open the flaps to expose the interior of the chile, and, using a butter knife or small measuring spoon, scrape the inside to remove the seeds and ribs. Repeat with the remaining peppers; set aside.
- Place the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper, and mix until smooth and evenly combined. Transfer the mixture to a quart-size resealable plastic bag, cut one bottom corner off to make a 3/4-inch-wide opening, and squeeze the mixture into the chiles until just filled (be careful not to overfill). Insert a toothpick widthwise through each chile to secure the flaps and filling. Place the filled chiles on the prepared baking sheet in two evenly spaced rows of six.
- Broil for 4 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue to broil until the peppers are starting to char and the filling is browned and bubbly, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the oven, and remove the toothpicks if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
5. Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
Method:
- Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine butter, sugar, and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl sides and bottom. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add flour and mix on low until the dough comes together.
- Place dough in a piping bag fitted with a star tip, squeezing the dough toward the tip of the bag to eliminate air pockets. Twist the bag down tightly on the cookie dough and hold the bag at the point where you started the twist—this will be your squeezing hand. Use your other hand to guide the tip.
- Hold the bag perpendicular to a baking sheet, aiming the tip where you want the center of the cookie to be. Squeezing firmly on the bag’s end, pipe the cookies by guiding the bag in a counterclockwise spiral out from the cookie’s center. Make only one full rotation, and try to keep the spiral as tight as possible.
- With the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation about 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep in the center of each spiral; dip the spoon handle in flour if it sticks to the cookie dough.
- Place the jam in a resealable plastic bag and squeeze it into one corner. Cut a 1/4-inch piece off the corner. Pipe enough jam into each cookie indentation to fully fill; don’t overfill or the jam will run out onto the cookie.
- Bake cookies until the edges are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.
6. No-Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs (2 large sheets of graham crackers)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter , melted
- 2 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 4 ounces heavy cream
Method:
- Place the 2 sheets of graham crackers in a ziplock bag and roll with a rolling pin or use a heavy can to crush.
- Pour crumbs into a small bowl and stir in melted butter.
- Spoon crumbs into dessert dish and press down with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and set aside.
- Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon over the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas frozen, sliced
- 1 Tbsp cream cheese
- 1 cup strawberries frozen
Method:
- Place frozen bananas and strawberries into food processor and process until they are they are incorporated and almost the consistency of ice cream.
- Add cream cheese and process until smooth.
- Taste for sweetness and add sweetener if necessary and process again until fully incorporated.
- Serve immediately, or place in air-tight container and freeze until ready to serve.
Have you tried any of these recipes? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
