No Bake Strawberry Peanut Butter Bites

So if you told me as a kid or as a burgeoning young teenager, that cheese  (outside of cheesecake, because as a kid do you really know what it’s made of?) could be made into a dessert, I’d laugh in your face and say, “HAH! What’s next a doctor for your hair?!” *name that Simpsons episode*

But the cheese based dessert world is huge, particular in Italian cuisine. I’ve used ricotta to make a dessert in the past. Recently, I’ve started using mascarpone cheese to make desserts and uhhhh let’s just say it’s been detrimental to my waistline (i.e. I’m getting fatter people).

Mascarpone cheese is a cream cheese, literally, it’s cream that is coagulated with an acid to make the magic that is mascarpone cheese. The cheese itself originates from Italy (obviously), specifically Northern Italy. Mascarpone has been around since the 16th century and it’s a must have for Italian desserts.

If you’ve never had mascarpone before, think of it as a milder almost sweet cream cheese. When you get good quality mascarpone, the creamy consistency goes hand in hand with the smooth texture of the cheese. These qualities make it the perfect vessel for dessert. I like to think of it as whipped cream on steroids. (Although hand whipped cream is pretty damn delicious).

What I’ve made here is so simple yet so satisfying. It doesn’t require any baking or cooking. All you do is mix some honey into your mascarpone cheese, add peanut butter powder, mix it together for a minute or so, and then top it with some macerated strawberries. That’s it.

This is a elegant spin on a PB&J sandwich. The peanut butter adds a complex flavor to the mascarpone, the nuttiness of the peanuts goes well with the cheese and creates a cream that tastes like high end peanut butter. The macerated strawberries add a nice tart acidity to the combination just like jelly would do to a normal peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Finally the wafer on the bottom is the perfect compliment, it adds just enough to the party by acting as a vessel for the cheese and the berries. The end result is heaven.

Recipe – No Bake Strawberry Peanut Butter Bites

Ingredients

3 or 4 Strawberries

2 Tablespoons of Table Sugar *Optional*

10 Nilla Wafers

1/4 Cup of Mascarpone Cheese

1 Tbsp. Honey

2 to 3 Tbsp. Peanut Butter Powder (Taste the cheese after you add the 2 tablespoons and see if that’s enough for your taste, you really can’t go wrong with adding more though)
PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter,6.5 oz (You can buy it right here, if you can’t find it at your grocery store, this stuff is so useful)

Method

Wash and dice the strawberries. If you’re short on time or want this to be healthier, skip the table sugar all together. If you want to get wild, toss the strawberries in the table sugar and let them sit for an hour or so (they should soften and a bit of strawberry liquid should form.

Once your strawberries are ready, set them aside.

Now mix your cheese with the honey in  a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until the cheese tastes sweet, but not too sweet. You just want to make sure that the sweetness is even and not concentrated in one spot.

Once the honey is mixed in, now add your peanut butter powder. Once that’s all mixed in, you shouldn’t see any powder granules. You should have a smooth light brown colored mixture now. Taste it. If it’s not sweet enough for your taste or peanuty enough for your taste, add more honey and or peanut butter powder.

Once your cheese is ready, put about a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half on each nilla wafer. Top with a strawberry and now you have a magical dessert bite. Invariably you will have extra cheese, oh the horror. Invite Mr. Spoon to the party and finish the rest of it.