Vegan Viands #9: Raspberry Cheesecake Bites

Tonight was spring semester's minion dinner. Like last semester's dinner (and every one before that), we had a ton of fun. It rained a bit early on, so we didn't get to play as many outdoor games as I would have liked, but we got in some game playing and some laughing and, of course, some eating. I find warm-weather meals more difficult to make for a crowd, but we decided to do grilled foil packets, a great rice blend, and a three-bean salad. The packets are customizable and most people seem to enjoy choosing their own veggies to put in; everyone is amazed at how the veggies turn out.

However, tonight's dessert was really the big deal for most of them. I actually made two desserts: cake cookies and these delicious and easy raspberry cheesecake bites. These little bite-size desserts were gone in next to no time. Perfect for a dessert, shower, or brunch, the only thing you need to worry about is making sure you get at least one before they are gone!

Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
2 small cartons raspberries
8 oz. vegan cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
graham cracker crumbs

Directions
1. Crush 3-4 graham crackers into small crumbs, set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Scoop cream cheese mixture into a quart-size ziploc baggie. Zip closed then cut a very small part of one corner off.
4. Fill raspberries by putting the cut corner into the berry and pressing on the bag gently, then dip in crumbs and place crumb-side-down on a plate. Repeat with remaining berries.
5. When done, lightly sprinkle more crumbs over the berries. Refrigerate until ready to serve; will soften quickly.

Helpful Hints

• Graham crackers can be a tricky vegan thing. Occasionally you'll find a version in the natural foods section that is vegan, or (more rarely) a vegan store-brand. With that said, if you're okay with honey, then most graham crackers are fine. 
• There are a number of vegan cream cheeses on the market now. I prefer Tofutti, but find one that you like. 
• You can do this with other fruits, too! I've done it with strawberries. They were delicious, they just took a bit more time because i had to dig out a space in the top. But something like blackberries would also be awesome. 
• I found this "recipe" in an email I'd sent to myself ages ago. I think I copied the general idea from somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Regardless, there were no measurements, so I wrote mine down. 
• I think these need a better name. Any creative folk have good ideas? 

The post "Vegan Viands #9: Raspberry Cheesecake Bites" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.