Serves: 15-20 as mini dessert bites
INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESECAKE:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) Dutch Farms unsalted butter, melted
- 3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (3 sleeves or 27 graham crackers finely ground)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- 4 packages (2 pounds total) Dutch Farms Neufchatel or Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 Dutch Farms Eggs
- 1 cup Dutch Farms Ricotta Cheese
![](https://e6e12f.p3cdn1.secureserver.net//wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1-27-683x1024.jpg)
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING:
- 1 cup Dutch Farms Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- 3 kiwi
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seed
![](https://e6e12f.p3cdn1.secureserver.net//wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2-25-819x1024.jpg)
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, salt and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Mix until well incorporated and mixture resembles wet sand. Pour mixture into rimmed baking sheet (18×13 inches) and press into an even layer. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In bowl of electric mixer, combine Neufchatel or Cream Cheese, sugar and brown sugar. Mix on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla. Add Eggs 1 at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add Ricotta; mix until well incorporated. Pour cheesecake mixture over baked graham cracker crust and smooth into an even layer. Bake 25-30 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through, until middle has just set. Allow to cool completely.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill 8 hours or overnight. To freeze for later use, wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil.
- To serve, cut cheesecake into squares, about 1 ½ to 2 inches.
- For Strawberry Santa Hats: Mix 1 cup Ricotta with powdered sugar. Cut off tops of strawberries. Use a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off to pipe about 1 ½ teaspoons of ricotta mixture onto a cheesecake square in a circular shape. Place strawberry pointed side up on ricotta mixture. Finish by piping a small swirl of ricotta mixture on top.
- For Kiwi Wreaths: With a knife, cut the skin off each kiwi and slice into rounds. Top cheesecake squares with a kiwi slice and 3-4 pomegranate seeds in the center.