Patriotic Cheesecake Tarts

With company in town and a friend's birthday this weekend, I made desserts more than usual - and this was a fun one!

These tarts can be made in just minutes after baking the shells, and with blueberries in season, they have a really bright, summery taste.  I added sliced strawberries to some of them, and the super sweetness of the strawberries definitely added another dimension.  Between the creaminess of the cheesecake filling and the crisp flakiness of the shell, these were a hit at our house.  I can't wait to make them for our next picnic!

To make Patriotic Cheesecake Tarts, you'll need:

• mini phyllo dough shells
• 1/3 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 T. powdered sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• fresh fruit to arrange on top

To pull your tarts together, ....

1. Bake the phyllo shells as directed on the package.  Allow to cool.
2. Mix the powdered sugar (to taste) with the vanilla and cream cheese.  I used about a tablespoon.  The sweetness of the fruit adds a lot, so the cheesecake part didn't need to be super sweet for me - but then I don't eat many sweets.  :-)
3. Wash and prepare your fruit.
4. When the shells are cool, fill them up!  I put the cheesecake filling into a small sandwich bag and cut off the corner, then piped it into the shells.
5. Top with fruit.
6. Chill until it's time to serve.

I'm seeing so many possibilities for these little shells and so many flavor combinations for cheesecake ideas.  What are your favorite cheesecake flavors?

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