(Photo and recipe for Lemon Cream Taco Boats from tasteandtellblog.com) It’s been quite some time since we’ve posted a recipe here but with the weather warming up, it’s about time to share a ‘boat’ named snack perfect for the season. This one’s nice and light for those hot days where you just need something refreshing. (Unfortunately, this one probably isn’t a great snack for a day on the actual boat, but it has boat in its name, so we’ll deal with it).

Lemon Cream Taco Boats

Ingredients:

Taco Boats:

¼ C granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted
12 Old El Paso Mini Soft Tortilla Taco Boats

Lemon Cream Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ C sugar
⅓ C heavy cream
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¾ C heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Diced strawberries

Okay, random side comment, I was unaware that Old El Paso sold mini taco boats. What a great idea! Anyway, here’s the rundown on making these delicious treats.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Combine the ¼ C sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a large ziplock bag. Using a pastry brush, spread the butter on the insides and outside of each of the taco boats. One at a time, place the boats in the ziplock bag and shake to cover with cinnamon sugar. Shake off excess, and place on a baking sheet.
Place full baking sheet in preheated oven and bake until golden boats are brown and starting to crisp (about 7 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool completely.
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until softened. Add the sugar and beat until it’s dissolved (about a minute). Beat in the ⅓ C heavy cream, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring, if desired. Stir in about ¼ of the whipped cream until combined (this will help to lighten up the mixture) then fold in the remaining cream. Transfer to a piping bag with a decorative tip or a ziptop bag with the corner cut off.
Pipe the mixture into the cooled cinnamon-sugar coated boats. Top with diced strawberries and serve immediately.

Note: You can make the cinnamon-sugar boats and the lemon cream ahead of time, but don’t assemble them until ready to serve as they will get soggy. And there we have it, a perfect dessert for this lovely spring weather. (Recipe found at tasteandtellblog.com. Stop by the site for more delicious recipes!)

Lemon Cream Taco Boats