recipes

It’s award season time!

So, you will find me sitting on my sofa in my yoga pants watching other people dress up and walk the red carpet, which is always the best part. But in case you have a fun, and hopefully fancy, party to go to then these little Blackberry Cheese Bites are a perfect appetizer for you to bring along.

These Blackberry Cheese Bites start with a crisp cracker, then are layered with a spoonful of whipped lemon cream cheese, a dollop of apple & blackberries purée, either chopped blackberries for baby or a whole blackberry for you and then topped with a little lemon zest to finish them off.

As fancy as they sound, my toddler and preschooler did a pre-show taste test and they gobbled them all up with huge smiles on their faces.

Whether your award party is a fancy affair or just a casual night in, these fun appetizers will surely win the award for best appetizer for baby (9+ months and up)!

Blackberry Cheese Bites (for Mom and Baby!)

• 1 jar of Beech-Nut apple & blackberries purée
• 1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 20 fresh blackberries,
• 20 round crackers

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the whipped cream cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice until well incorporated.
2. Gently chop 10 of the blackberries into small pieces. I chopped mine into 6 pieces each.
3. For baby bites, take a cracker and spread with roughly 2 teaspoons of cheese spread, leaving the sides of the cheese towards the outside of the cracker slightly higher than the middle. This will ensure that the purée will stay in place.
4. Dollop roughly 1 teaspoon of Beech-Nut apple & blackberries purée into the center of the cheese spread. Top with 1 chopped blackberry.
5. For mom bites, take a cracker and spread with roughly 2 teaspoons of cheese spread, leaving the sides of the cheese towards the outside of the cracker slightly higher than the middle. This will ensure that the purée will stay in place.
6. Dollop roughly 1 teaspoon of Beech-Nut apple & blackberries puree into the center of the cheese spread. Top with 1 full blackberry and sprinkle with a pinch of lemon zest.
7. Place both bites on a serving platter and serve.

Yield – 20 crackers

Prep Time – 10 minutes

Age Range – great for 9+ months and up

Note on crackers – For this recipe, you can use any crackers you like best. For older babies and young toddlers I love to use these crackers in this recipe. They are sturdy enough to hold the toppings but light enough they will melt in the little- one’s mouths’. But almost any adult or baby cracker will work with this recipe.