This recipe comes from a fellow teacher at my school. It was printed and placed in one of our paper organizers in the office. I saw that recipe in there for months and kept wondering how it got there. I snagged a copy and tried it and it has been a favorite ever since. I can see why there were a bunch of copies. Everyone who tries them asks for the recipe.
In my younger cooking days, cheesecake was always one one of those recipes that I assumed was challenging to make. Add to notion the fact that in restaurants cheesecake always has a huge price on a slice ($8.00 at The Cheesecake Factory) so it made me think that cheesecake must be a couldn’t-possibly-make-at-home dessert.
Finally as I started cooking more I found that cheesecake isn’t hard at all. In fact it is basically a block or two of cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla. That’s all there is to it! I couldn’t believe I was ever intimidated by cheesecake. I think that learning how to make a cheesecake took some of the mystique out of other recipes, too. In my mind, I had conquered the cheesecake challenge so I decided to dive into other recipes that seemed impossible, too.
Learning to make cheesecake also made me analyze food more when I went to restaurants. No longer do dishes seem like only something a restaurant could create. I’m not saying that I’m the greatest chef in the world, but I don’t mind tackling complex recipes and trying new techniques. My food doesn’t always come out perfectly but I enjoy the experience of trying something new rather than succumbing to the idea that it is beyond my grasp.
Although this wasn’t my first cheesecake recipe, it is a good one. It is really easy and has been successful for me. I love it for parties or large groups because it is easy to transport and/or serve.
Mini-Cheesecakes
Crust
1 stick butter
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
Batter
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large eggs
Sour Cream Glaze
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over low heat. Combine butter with crumbs and sugar using a fork. Press small amount of crust mix into mini-sized muffin tins. With a mixer, blend cream cheese and sugar well. Add lemon juice. Add eggs, one at a time on low speed. Do not overmix. Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes. To make the glaze, combine sour cream, sugar and extract. Spoon on the sour cream glaze and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill thoroughly. These freeze well.
Quick how-to. Combine the sugar with the graham crumbs, and butter.
Press into cupcake tins. If you like a lot of crust, pile it high. If you like more filling, you will have some crumbs left over.
Mix together the cream cheese and the sugar.
Add the lemon. Fresh is best!
Use a scoop to fill the muffins.
Pop them in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and return to the oven for 2 minutes.
I garnished these with lemon peel. Pretty and delicious!
Lemon pie is a favorite…this looks much easier than a pie.