My favorite way to eat a bagels is with some cream cheese and jelly. My favorite are blueberry bagels with strawberry jelly and cream cheese. However, I have found as I get older, my tolerance for tedious tasks grows thinner. Like trying to take hard cream cheese out of the fridge and swirl it with the jelly on the bagel before your first cup of coffee. So I used to buy the strawberry cream cheese at the store, but it just didn’t have the same flavor that I was looking for. I decided that I would work something out in college and started to mix my own. This, like many things you make or mix at home, gives you the power over the quality of the ingredients and you know what’s going into your body as well as tasting better.
Here’s how to make it.
Strawberry Cream Cheese:
1. Cute 1 package of cream cheese into pieces (about 8) and place in container (I always just mix this in the container I’m going to store it in. Yea, less dishes!)
2. Microwave for no more than 15-20 seconds to soften the cream cheese.
3. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup strawberry preserve, depending on how much of a berry flavor you like. (I find that the preserves work the best for texture with this. I had some leftover strawberry syrup that I made, so I added that instead this time. You can also make this with whatever type of jelly, jam or preserve you like, not just strawberry)
4. Mix well. (I use a small coated whisk to make sure everything gets incorporated well. I have also made it with just a spoon and that works fine. It gives you more of a swirl than a mix though.)
5. I may look a little runny or gross, but don’t worry! It will set back up a little when you put it back in the fridge. It will stay soft enough to spread when cold though. I of course couldn’t wait, so I ate some right away 🙂
That’s all there is to it! It’s not hard and taste way better than anything you will find in the store. I enjoy this with a glass of milk or cup of coffee. I find that orange juice cuts through the take of the berries a little too much for me, but you might like it. I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful day!
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