Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites

Impress your guests this holiday and serve up this easy-to-make dessert. Store-boughs phyllo, or filo, dough makes this recipe a snap! While most cream cheese filling recipes call for twice as much cream cheese and tons of sugar, we’re swapping out half of the cream cheese with tofu to get that rich, creamy texture with half the calories and even better flavor! These bites are loaded with holiday flavor but light on calories.

Make this recipe vegan by using non-dairy cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries (1 bag)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese (can use vegan cream cheese)
• 12 ounces soft silken tofu (the kind in a box)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Package of Phyllo/Filo dough (found in the freezer section)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small pot heat up cranberries, water, and lemon juice. Stir and use the back of a spoon or potato masher to break up the cranberries. It takes 5-10 minutes for the cranberries to break down. Add sugar and mix after the cranberries have broken down and started to gel. Turn off the heat and let the cranberry sauce cool while you work on the next steps.

In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, tofu, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Typically Phyllo dough comes in a box with two sleeves of rolled sheets. Unwrap only one side at a time, because these sheets dry out quickly. Brush oil on one sheet of dough, layer another on top, and brush with oil, layer a third but don’t brush with oil. Cut the oiled sheet layers into 3 long strips. Place a scant tablespoon of cream cheese filling on one end and 1-2 teaspoons of cranberry sauce on top. Fold a triangle at the end and then roll the triangle shape up the strip so that the filling is completely enclosed. Watch the video above for a visual of this step. Place triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes.

The filling will expand as it cooks and may leak out, but that’s normal. After they have finished baking you can use a knife or spoon to remove the spill-over filling.

This recipe can be modified in a number of ways by simply changing the fruit:

• Cooked, diced apples with cinnamon
• Blueberries are cooked using the method above but add 1 tablespoon mixed with water after they have finished cooking
• Pumpkin pie filling
• Almond paste
• Use your favorite jam or jelly!

Nutrient information is provided using Lose It! App

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bites 

Servings 40 | 87 Calories per Serving

8.2 g carb; 1.1 g sugar; 1.8 g protein; 7.8 mg cholesterol; 5 g fat; 0.4 g fiber; 55 mg sodium

Vegan Cream Cheese Cranberry Bites (using Tofutti brand non-dairy cream cheese)

Servings 40 | 79 Calories per Serving

8.4 g carb; 1.1 g sugar; 1.6 g protein; 4.2 g fat; 0.4 g fiber; 58 mg sodium