Mini Cheesecakes
Good morning, folks, Happy Spring, Welcome to Monday, and here I am back….did you miss me? I certainly missed you!
Last week was a whirlwind of busy-ness, and I didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so our meals devolved into left overs and quick and easy ones that are already on these pages somewhere. Can you believe one evening we even had Chinese Takeout? Well, what can I say? We like it every so often (in a pinch). The point to all this being …I didn’t have anything new to share with you, until Easter weekend rolled around, that is.
The family gathered at my niece’s house–she wanted to try being the hostess for the first time. I like to encourage our younger family members to try hostessing and entertaining, and so I said, “what can I do to help with dinner?” The answer: “Oh, Aunt Carolyn, will you please make dessert?” YES!
I had seen a picture of miniature cheesecakes in a magazine that were so cute, I really wanted to try them. They were individual ones, made in muffin tins, with the tops decorated with toasted coconut and mini chocolate eggs to look like little nests. I knew the children would really like them…and the adults too! They were super easy to make and came out just right. I was so pleased. Those pictured below were decorated with help from a 3-year-old, so they may not look perfect. A few extra “eggs” may have been eaten along the way, but it was fun doing it with a little girl to help me!
The crust under the cheese filling is meant to be made with graham cracker crumbs, but in our family we have an allergy to graham crackers, so I always use a shortbread cookie instead. In this case I used Nilla Wafers, crushed to replace the graham crumbs. I also used a low-fat cream cheese in place of the regular, for a reduction of some fat and calories. It all worked out beautifully.
As the cheesecakes bake, the tops of them get cracked, but as they cool, and the tops sink a bit, the cracks close up, and they are covered by the toasted coconut “grass”, so don’t worry about that small detail.
It has occurred to me that these little cakes would be a perfect dessert for a buffet. With Mother’s Day coming up soon, bridal showers and graduations too, just change out the type of little candies in the “nest” to fit the occasion. So cute!!
MINI CHEESECAKES
Yield: Makes 18 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or other type of cookie crumb)
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- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
- 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 3 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8-oz. each)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut
- 54 tiny speckled chocolate eggs
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Mix graham crumbs, 2 Tbsp. sugar and melted butter in a small bowl until uniformly moistened and crumbly. Press 1 Tbsp. crumbs into the bottoms of muffin cups.
Crumbs in the bottom of the cups.
3. Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar with mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.
Spoon over crusts. (Each cup takes about 2 Tbsp. filling)
4. Bake at 325*F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To toast coconut: pour the 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut onto a baking sheet and bake at 325*. for 5 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent over browning.
Toasted Coconut.
5. Top each cheesecake with 1 Tbsp. toasted coconut shaped into a nest.
Fill each one with 3 tiny speckled chocolate eggs.
SOURCE: Food Network Magazine
