I live in fear of overcooking my baked goods… and I usually shorten the baking time stated in a recipe, especially because I bake on convection. I made these mini-cheesecakes twice because the first time I made them they were undercooked! They were still edible (of course!) and tasty, but not perfect enough to give to my friend for her birthday. 🙂 (We have been eating a lot of cheesecake lately… so glad they are “mini” portion-sized!!) It was difficult to tell that they were undercooked until after they were chilled- I had baked them until they were puffed and set.
For the second batch, I increased the baking time and added two pinches of salt. Thank goodness (…for many reasons… could/should we eat another batch?) they were cooked perfectly. 🙂 They are pure and simple. Perfect to give to my cheesecake-purist friend for her birthday!! …and to bring to Fiesta Friday #11 at the Novice Gardener! This recipe was adapted from Carla Hall of The Chew. She baked them in mini-muffin pans (with 1 teaspoon of crust, baked for 10 minutes) with optional toppings which would be great for a party. A fun touch was to serve them inverted- mine with a fork, my husband’s with a spoon. To each his own! 🙂 Nice!
Yield: Makes 8 mini-cheesecakes
- 4 honey graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 T Â granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 T milk (I used 1 percent)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 pinches of coarse salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (convection)(175 degrees C).
- Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to crush. Add melted butter and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed.
- Place liners (I used parchment paper liners) into muffin tins and press 1 1/2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each. Using the bottom of a glass, compact the crumbs to form a crust.
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
- Blend in milk, and then mix in the egg, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth.
- Scoop or pour filling on top of crusts. (I use a cookie scoop.)
- Bake in preheated oven for 17 minutes, or until puffed, set, and slightly brown on the edges. Cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator until serving.
- Serve inverted. Can top with berries or chocolate sauce, if desired.
One Year Ago:
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