Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes

This dessert is kind of like a Valentine’s month must.

Everyone likes cheesecake, and the people that say they don’t really like cheesecake don’t really know what they are talking about. They just haven’t tried this cheesecake, maybe. Because who could resist a little mini cheesecake? And the jam- it’s red for God’s sake- who can resist that around Valentine’s Day? (Like the Double Cherry Cookie Sandwiches– they’re heart shaped AND red- a totally irresistible VD hit.)

[Here’s the thing about mini anythings: they create a permissive environment of “more”. When you have one mini something, you feel entitled to have another mini thing, and then another mini thing after that. So in the spirit of “more is better” (the More Sweets, Please tagline, stupid), I say go for it. But if you’re trying to watch your waistline or whatever, limit yourself to 3 – 12 minis per day. Cheesecake isn’t exactly on the list of Weight Watchers foods you can eat without limit (like I think veggies are, aren’t they?) Okay. There’s my public service announcement.]

BONUS: these mini cheesecakes are insanely easy to make. No water bath. No fussing. Just good old fashioned easy dessert-making and eating. Go forth and bake them for someone you love. Hopefully that’s yourself.

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GRAHAM CRUST:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

TOPPING:

3/4 cup strawberry preserves/jam
1. Preheat oven to 300° and lightly grease muffin/cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave and stir in graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Press a heaping 2 tablespoons of crust into bottoms of prepared liners and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk and beat well. Beat in eggs and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Scoop into liners on top of crust, about 1/2″ below top edge of liner.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until mini cheesecakes appear just set in center. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
5. In a small microwaveable bowl, heat strawberry preserves up until runny (30 – 45 seconds should do the trick); spoon over tops of cooled cheesecakes. Allow to set in fridge before serving.
Tips:
- Like lots of crust in your cheesecakes? No one is stopping you from adding more of the crust into the bottoms of the muffin liners. If you’re really ambitious you might press some of the crust up the sides of the liners, but that takes time and really isn’t necessary.
- WARNING: THESE CHEESECAKES WILL NOT LOOK ATTRACTIVE when you take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. Don’t fret- that’s what the jam is for. To cover up what looks like the body part of a 90+ year old. I was on the verge of calling these an official Recipe for Disaster until I forged ahead and covered them up anyway. They look fine after jamming them up, and they taste great. So there. We’re all covered.
- Want cherry cheesecake instead? It’s yours- just swap the strawberry jam for whatever you’d like. Raspberry (seedless! please!), berry, whatever. Red is nice for VD, but really, who cares- use blueberry if it gets you going.
- Want a full cake instead? Okay, grease a 9″ springform pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. There you go.
- Optional garnish: strawberries, obviously… maybe with a tiny sprig of mint to add nice color.
- I sometimes freeze cheesecakes but try not to unless I totally have to. Sometimes the freezing and thawing does something with the texture…
- Want more cheesecake? Try this Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce. It’s the real deal.
- Enjoy!
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February 5th, 2014 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Cakes, Fruit