Mini Cheesecakes

For as long as I can remember I have always enjoyed listening to my parents talk about the sweet treats they enjoyed in their childhoods, or the food they shared together when they first started dating. I still enjoy listening to Mom tell me about the malts they could get in the basement of the Bay, or the different combinations of pop, candy, and chips that could be bought for 10 cents at the corner store. Sometimes I am shocked to hear that they can remember the first time they had pizza, perogies, or curry. Food and cuisine I’ve had the luxury of being exposed to from before I can even remember.

Although Edmonton is a small city compared to many others in the world it is now rather metropolitan. So, imagine my surprise when my mom casually told me that my grandmother had tried making cheesecake for years without a recipe. It didn’t stop her from trying despite some failed attempts because she knew it was one of Grandad’s favorites. In Winnipeg, the city my grandad grew up in, there was a variety of foods readily available including New York Cheesecake. Mom remembers him occasionally lamenting that some foods were not available here in Edmonton.

So, in honor of the love my grandmother had for my grandad evident in her pursuit of making cheesecake, we decided to make it for Valentine’s Day because unlike her, we have access to a recipe! Like my Grandad my father loves cheesecake, but with a family of four a full-sized cheesecake is too much. Not that my father would agree. It wasn’t until my cousin brought gluten free mini cheesecakes to a family gathering that Mom realized this was something we could make. Now that we have a recipe for them, we enjoy cheesecake on a regular basis. This recipe is ideal if you only want a little bit of cheesecake, but it can just as easily be doubled if you are entertaining. In the slim chance you make too many, don’t worry they can be frozen. We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do and are able to share it with loved ones whether it is for Valentine’s Day, a dinner party, or just because you feel like it!

To ensure your cheesecake has a silky-smooth texture it is imperative that the cream cheese, sour cream, and egg are all at room temperature. We like to take the ingredients out first thing in the morning and let it warm up for about an hour or two before we make the cheesecakes.

If these ingredients are not at room temperature they will be difficult to combine and result in a lumpy texture.

Cookie crust ingredients
⅔ graham wafer crumbs
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl combine the graham wafer crumbs and granulated sugar stirring until combined. Melt the butter in the microwave. Drizzle half of the butter over the wafer mixture stirring it as you do. Add the remaining butter to the mixture, once fully incorporated the crumbs will resemble the texture of wet sand.

Line a muffin tin with 8 liners. To each liner add approximately 1½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture. We add ½ tablespoon at a time to ensure the crumb is divided evenly.

Using the back of the measuring spoon, or your fingers pat the crumbs down until they just come together. If you over pack the crumbs it will be difficult to get a spoon or fork through the bottom once baked. Bake for 5 minutes.

Filling ingredients
1 8oz pkg of full fat cream cheese at room temperature
¼ cup full fat sour cream at room temperature
½ tsp extract of choice*
1 large egg at room temperature

* We usually use vanilla extract however, because we were topping it with cherry pie filling we used almond extract.

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth.

Next add the sour cream and extract, once combined add a slightly beaten egg. It is important that you do not overbeat the mixture once the egg has been added. If too much air is added it will result in cracking on the top, if it does occur, not to worry it will still taste delicious.

Using a small cookie scoop, or a tablespoon add one scoop of the mixture to each liner until the batter has been evenly added to each liner.

It doesn’t matter how many times we have made this recipe, there is always one or two that are slightly bigger than the others and we are okay with that.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. Shake the pan gently, if there is a slight giggle you know they are ready to come out of the oven. Cool them for 2-3 minutes in the pan before gently transferring them from the muffin tin to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled they can be stored in the fridge.

Now we know this might be difficult but like most baking cheesecake tastes better the next day. Consider making the day before you plan on serving them. We normally prefer our cheesecake plain but for this occasion we used almond extract to flavour the cheesecake and topped it with cherry pie filling. You could also top it with, caramel or chocolate sauce or even dulce de leche. Enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes

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Ingredients

  

Cookie crust

• ⅔ cup graham wafer crumbs
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Filling

• 1 8 oz pkg of full fat cream cheese at room temperature
• ¼ cup full fat sour cream at room temperature
• ½ tsp extract of choice
• 1 large egg at room temperature

Instructions

 

Cookie Crust

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl combine the graham wafer crumbs and granulated sugar stirring until combined. Melt the butter in the microwave. Drizzle half of the butter over the wafer mixture stirring it as you do. Add the remaining butter to the mixture, once fully incorporated the crumbs will resemble the texture of wet sand.
• Line a muffin tin with 8 liners. To each liner add approximately 1½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture. We add ½ tablespoon at a time to ensure the crumb is divided evenly.
• Using the back of the measuring spoon, or your fingers pat the crumbs down until they just come together. If you over pack the crumbs it will be difficult to get a spoon or fork through the bottom once baked. Bake for 5 minutes.

Filling

• To ensure your cheesecake has a silky-smooth texture it is imperative that the cream cheese, sour cream, and egg are all at room temperature. We like to take the ingredients out first thing in the morning and let it warm up for about an hour or two before we make the cheesecakes. If these ingredients are not at room temperature they will be difficult to combine and result in a lumpy texture.
• In a large bowl, cream the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth.
• Next add the sour cream and extract, once combined add a slightly beaten egg. It is important that you do not overbeat the mixture once the egg has been added. If too much air is added it will result in cracking on the top, if it does occur, not to worry it will still taste delicious.
• Using a small cookie scoop, or a tablespoon add one scoop of the mixture to each liner until the batter has been evenly added to each liner.
• It doesn’t matter how many times we have made this recipe, there is always one or two that are slightly bigger than the others and we are okay with that.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes. Shake the pan gently, if there is a slight giggle you know they are ready to come out of the oven. Cool them for 2-3 minutes in the pan before gently transferring them from the muffin tin to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled they can be stored in the fridge.
• Now we know this might be difficult but like most baking cheesecake tastes better the next day. Consider making the day before you plan on serving them. We normally prefer our cheesecake plain but for this occasion we used almond extract to flavour the cheesecake and topped it with cherry pie filling. You could also top it with, caramel or chocolate sauce or even dulce de leche. Enjoy!