This weekend is the 4th of July and here at Half Baked, we’re ready to go! You may have spotted our Stars & Stripes Cheesecake Shots over at Hostess with the Mostess. (Yay! Thanks for the feature Jenn!) I created this cheesecake shot recipe for the Milkaholic Baby Shower that I hosted a few months ago and was thrilled to recreate these treats with a patriotic twist. Cold shot glasses filled with creamy cheesecake filling, graham cracker crumbs and topped with berries. To give it an extra special touch for the 4th of July, I added small puff pastry stars. And to wrap up a great week, I have the recipe for those stars!
Frozen Puff Pastry (Pepperidge Farm), thawed overnight in refrigerator
Sugar
Sanding Sugar
Cream Cheese Filling – Recipe HERE ( it’s the same filling as the cheesecake shots!)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a board dusted with sugar until it is 10 by 12 inches. Sprinkle entire sheet with sanding sugar. Using a star shaped cookie cutter, cut stars and gently move onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If puff pastry is warm from handling it, refrigerate entire tray for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes until puffed and sugar is slightly browned and caramelized. Cool for a few minutes and then remove from tray and cool completely.
For Large Star Sandwiches: Separate top from bottom by cutting star in half using a serrated knife (think oreo cookie halves). Spread cream cheese mixture onto both halves and put back together. Using a piping bag with small round tip helps to keep your final treat neat and clean around the edges. {For an extra special treat, add a layer of fruit in your sandwich like sliced strawberries or small raspberries and blueberries. So delish!} Refrigerate 4 hours or until cheesecake mixture is firm. Serve chilled.
For Small Star Toppers: Keep sealed in an airtight container until ready to use. These make the perfect little topper for our cheesecake shots (recipe HERE), cupcakes, ice cream cones and more!
A special thank you to Jenn and her team over at Hostess with the Mostess for featuring our Stars & Stripes Cheesecake Shots! If you missed it, you can find the post and recipe HERE. Wishing everyone a safe and fun filled 4th of July Weekend!
Enjoy!
This is my FAVORITE 4th of July dessert I’ve seen! They are so fun and super cute too. LOVE!
So cute! Both the stars and the cheesecake shots! Thanks for the recipes!!
Love these! They look delicious!
Looks delish! Can’t wait to try out these recipes!
SO creative, and the stars look yummy!
Sorry I am a new baker. By saying you roll out each sheet does that mean you pull off one layer and sprinkle then place it on top of each other until the whole sheet is done?
Niki – I’m wondering if you’re thinking about phyllo dough (paper thin sheets of dough that you layer) as opposed to puff pastry?
Puff pastry will come in a box in the freezer section of your grocery store. There are two sheets in a box. Each of those two sheets are ready to use. Work with one sheet at a time so they stay nice and cold. Just roll it out a little bit so you can cut out more stars from each sheet. The sugar on the board and sprinkled on top creates a nice caramelized top and bottom. Hope that makes sense! If not, let me know. 🙂
Love these! I actually use this same cream cheese filling as a dip for fresh strawberries and pineapple. These are beautiful and the stars are the perfect finish.
these are adorable! just one question – where did you get the glasses or what size are they?
That looks so so cute.