Whipped Ricotta with Mixed Berries, Or Reminiscing on Holidays Past

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: January 6, 2026

This Fourth of July, Chris and I will find ourselves alone, with nary a barbecue or picnic to attend. It’s a lonely position to be in, but such is the case when you’re a stranger to an area I suppose.

We should really be used to it by now.

Last Thanksgiving, we were in Puno, Peru. I believe we ate street hamburgers, 33 cents each, and arroz con leche—also bought off the street from a man with a cartful of the stuff—for dinner. We were resolute about not making a big deal out of the day. I made a big deal out of the day.

For Christmas, we were in Mendoza, Argentina, and celebrated the evening at a huge hostel-organized dinner where we endured ham stuffed in chicken stuffed in something else because I didn’t want to spent the holiday alone, just the two of us. The evening quickly devolved into a girls-gone-wild soiree, where tequila shots were generously given out to those brave enough (or wanton enough) to slurp them from some poor girl’s bellybutton (I was not wanton enough to be that girl).

And New Year’s Eve was celebrated in Santiago, Chile. We’d debated trying to be in Valparaiso that night, but, again, in the attempt to not make a big deal over the holiday, we opted to stay in Chile’s capital instead. Where we were invited to a concert which turned out to be more like a rave and spent the entire night alternating between momentary blindness and momentary deafness. It turned out to be one of our more fun New Year’s Eves.

If this last year has taught me anything, it’s how not to make a big deal over holidays.

But I’m not saying we won’t be a little lonely.

Sometimes, all it takes is going through the motions to make a day feel festive. Or make-believe motions in this case.

If I were playing hostess to a yardful of guests, I would totally serve this dessert as a 4th of July finale, after an evening of food-gorging, fireworks-watching, and beer-guzzling. It’s sweet, velvety, and cold, the cream cheese imparting a slight tartness, the ricotta grounding it firmly as a luxurious dessert. While not heavy, it’s certainly rich. And the berries, oh the berries: I will miss them when they’re out of season.

WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH MIXED BERRIES

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp honey
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups mixed fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, etc.)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Mix ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 2 Tbsp sugar, honey, and vanilla extract thoroughly (alternatively, blend everything together in a food processor and transfer to a bowl). Cover and refrigerate until slightly set (about 2 hours).

Toss fruit with lemon juice and remaining 2 Tbsp sugar in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Divide ricotta among six bowls. Top with berries and serve.

Note: You can go all-out patriotic like I did, and use blueberries and strawberries in your fruit blend, but I think peaches would work terrifically as well.

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Biscoff Bourbon Cookie Dough Truffles

Recipes

Christiana George
Updated Date:
December 18, 2022

I know it’s a little early to be thinking about Father’s Day, but I was playing around with a recipe and it came out so good that I wanted to share. Last year I made some Biscoff Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies and they came out delicious. I wanted to try the Biscoff and bourbon combo again, so I made these Biscoff Bourbon Cookie Dough Truffles and covered them in dark chocolate with a little bit of sea salt on top. This was a good use of bourbon.
I used Jim Beam bourbon for these truffles, but feel free to use your favorite bourbon. The meringue powder is the egg replacement for the no bake cookie dough. You can find it where they sell Wilton products like Walmart or Michaels.
I am still using a mini scoop to make the balls, it’s faster and easier than rolling them. And makes the truffles bite sized.

I chose dark chocolate for the coating, but you can do semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer. Either one will go well with the sea salt. I had some extra coarse sea salt that I crushed with a rolling pin to make the pieces a bit smaller. It worked out good.
The Biscoff smooths out the bourbon. The dark chocolate and the sea salt compliment the cookie dough. I think dad’s out there would love these bourbon flavored Biscoff cookie dough truffles. There is definitely a punch of alcohol in them, but the sweetness of the other flavors balances it our perfectly. My husband and his buddy loved them. And even my lady friends loved them. Just keep them away from the kids.
Biscoff Bourbon Cookie Dough Truffles
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 1.5h w/freezer time
Keywords: freeze refrigerate no bake dessert snack bourbon whiskey chocolate chips dark chocolate Father’s Day truffles American
Ingredients (28 truffles)

For the cookie dough
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup Biscoff cookie spread
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon meringue powder
2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
3/4 cups + 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For the coating
1 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa baking chips
Optional topping
coarse sea salt
Instructions
For the cookie dough
In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Then add the cookie spread and vanilla, mix on low until well blended.
Add the merinque powder and bourbon to the mixer bowl and mix well.
Next, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until dough starts to form.

Last, add the chocolate chips and mix until all incorporated.
With a mini scoop, measure out 28 mounds and place them on a wax paper lined air-tight container.
Place the container in the freezer for at least 1 hour to set. (I left mine overnight.)
For the coating
Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and melt for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until all chocolate is melted and smooth.
Remove chilled dough from freezer and dip the mounds, one at a time, into the melted chocolate until all covered. (I use a fork.)
Once covered, remove and softly tap until excess chocolate falls off. Then place the truffles on wax paper until the coating hardens. (If you are in a hurry, just pop them in the fridge for a few minutes.)
Optional topping
If you are adding some sea salt, add it before the chocolate sets.

Notes
These truffles don’t require refrigeration, but I kept mine in the fridge anyway. Do keep them in an airtight container.