Healthy snack or light dessert? You decide! Either way, these Baked Tart Cherry & Cream Cheese Wontons will disappear in a flash. Thank you to The Cherry Marketing Institute for helping me to share this recipe with you.
My eldest son (M) is about to reach a milestone in his young life, and I’m not handling it very well. Over the past 4 months, he has shot up several inches, passed by his “5 foot and shrinking” (her words) grandma, and he and I are now looking eye-to-eye. Well, almost. I still have about an inch on him, and I’m holding onto that tightly. This is the little boy that, just yesterday (I swear!), I was holding in my arms and who called me “Mummy” in his sweet toddler voice.
I’m learning to embrace this new stage of independence, sweaty socks and the “parents aren’t too bright” attitude. As long as M snuggles in for the occasional hug, I can deal with the teenage eye rolls and even with him growing taller than me.
And he’s not the only one who’s growing. My younger son is sprouting like a sunflower, though he still has a couple of years to go before he catches up to me. At least, I hope he does.
Growing boys mean growing appetites, and I’m shocked everyday at the amount of food they can put away. By the time they come home from school each day, they’re ready to raid the fridge, so I try to have something tasty and healthy on hand for quick refueling. Tart cherries are always in our pantry and the boys often grab a handful of tart cherries and raw almonds, or some Curry Spiced Nuts with Dried Cherries if I have them on hand.
To celebrate the boys being back to school, I wanted to come up with something special for them to dive into at the end of the school day. These baked wontons may look fancy, but they couldn’t be easier to make. Just whip up some softened cream with a little maple syrup and cinnamon, stir in some tart cherries and toasted almonds, fill some wonton wrappers with the mixture and bake them in the oven.
I made 12 of these little guys on the first go-round and my boys had inhaled them within 10 minutes of walking through the door. They were a huge hit! They are healthy enough to serve as snacks, but sweet enough to sub in as dessert after dinner.
Not only are tart cherries great to have on hand as a snack food, but they have a laundry list full of health benefits. For example, tart cherries contain Vitamin A and anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that have been linked to decreases in inflammation, which can help to soothe arthritis symptoms and ease exercise-related muscle pain.
Tart cherries can be found in well-stocked grocery stores, as well as healthy food stores, such as Whole Foods. We always have tart cherries available in at least two forms in our house, and we use them daily on top of cereal and in baked oatmeal.
For more information on tart cherries and recipe inspiration, be sure to visit the Cherry Marketing Institute site, and follow Choose Cherries on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Other healthy snack recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's No-Bake Carrot Cake Granola Bites {Low Sugar & Gluten-Free}
Cookin' Canuck's Greek Avocado & Feta Stuffed Cucumber Cups
Running to the Kitchen's Tart Cherry Fruit Leather
Food Faith Fitness' Protein Muffins with Quinoa, Prunes, Dates & Coconut
Printable Recipe
Baked Tart Cherry & Cream Cheese Wontons Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Neufchatel cheese light cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup dried tart cherries
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds toasted
- 12 wonton wrappers
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Neufchatel cheese, maple syrup and cinnamon until combined. Stir in the tart cherries and slivered almonds.
- Working with a few wonton wrappers at a time, place about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each wonton.
- Using your finger, rub a small amount of water on the border of the wonton wrapper. Pull the corners of the wrapper into the center and press together. Also press together the open sides to seal.
- Place the filled wontons on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Whisk together the egg and water in a bowl. Brush the wontons with the egg wash and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Return to the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post was written as part of an ambassadorship with the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are my own.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
My boy is only 4 but I am already dreading the days when he will be too big for me to pick him up! These wontons look fantastic! I love this sweet version!
Joanie @ Zagleft
I love having snacks ready for my kids when they come home from school too and these wontons would be perfect for them - light on sugar but fun and delicious! I know what you mean about kids growing up too fast, I'm now the shortest in my family.
Stephanie
These really sound delicious!! WHy do our babies have to grow up so fast?! Wahhhhh 🙁
tac
Any thoughts on how these would work as make a heads for reheating later? They sound delicious and look adorable. Thanks!
Annie
These look amazing! I love what a creative recipe this is!
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
Oh my gosh, I would inhale these!!
Beth
Your boys are pretty lucky to have you as their mom and that you make such awesome after school snacks! I haven't worked with wonton wrappers before but I'll have to give it a try!
Jennie @onesweetmess
This is such a creative recipe. I could snack on these all day, every day. Pinned.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness
I wish my mom did awesome things like make these delicious wontons for me when I got back from school! The creamy cheese and tart cherries sound the most magical combo EVER. Pinned!
The Surprised Gourmet
Kids do grow up too quickly. This sounds like a tasty treat to have on hand anytime.