Croissant Stars with Strawberries
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After school snacking is an opportunity to share special moments with your children, and this recipe is perfect for involving budding chefs. Your little one can cut the star shapes, spread the cream cheese and top with sliced strawberries.
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Kate McMillan is chef and owner of Kate McMillan Catering. She is a cooking instructor and and has authored two books: The Lunch Box and Soup of the Day.
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“This recipe makes a lot of stars. Keep them in an airtight container
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and you will have snacks all week long.
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz package of refrigerated prepared croissant dough
- 4 oz whipped cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam
- 6 strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a wooden board dusted with flour to prevent sticking, unroll the croissant dough. Using a 2 1/2 inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many stars as you can. Gather the scraps and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to match the thickness of the first stars. Again, cut as many stars as you can. This will yield about 20 cut stars. Place stars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and vanilla extract. To assemble, top each star with a generous smear of the cream cheese mixture, then the strawberry jam, and finally a strawberry slice. Serve immediately.
Additional Ideas for this Recipe
Kids Cook:
Kids can cut out the stars and lay them on a baking sheet.
Kids can mix the whipped cream cheese and vanilla.
Kids can spread the cream cheese and the strawberry jam, and top with strawberries.
Other topping ideas for the lunch box::
Top with slices of ham and cheddar cheese and run under the broiler to melt.
Top with almond butter and banana slices.
Top with egg salad, tuna salad or chicken salad.
For less of a mess in a lunch box, make sandwiches by putting the filling in between two stars.
Good to know:
Stars can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Cream cheese is a great source of calcium.
Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C.