MINI CHEESECAKES

These Cheesecake Bites are perfect mini creamy cheesecakes with fresh blackberries nestled in tart sweet raspberry jam. This lovely combination of flavors and textures fits inside a delicious chocolate cup. The tiny cups are chocolaty and delicate, and the cheesecake is as light as can be with a hint of lemon and just a touch of lemon zest. The little dab of the raspberry jam adds just enough tart sweetness to the juicy fresh blackberries to make these mini cheesecakes perfect with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon, or a perfect ending for a fancy dinner.

What I like about these Cheesecake Bites is that there are never any leftovers on anyone’s plate, one bite is all it takes and everyone can help themselves to seconds, or thirds, if they hurry!! The only problem with these cheesecake “so called bites” is that no one can ever have only one, and you will see what I mean once you bake these delectable mini cheesecakes.

Fill the centers with a little raspberry jam and place a fresh blackberry on top.

And enjoy these perfect Cheesecake Bites for any special occasion.

CHEESECAKE BITES

 

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Preheat oven to 325⁰F, center rack
Time: Bake 15-17 minutes
Cool in the pan for 30 minutes
You will need a tray of mini muffin cups (24 cups), grease the cups lightly with butter flavor Crisco
Yield: 24 Cheesecake Bites

Author: Homa

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• FOR THE CHOCOLATE CRUST
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla powder (or add ½ tsp pure vanilla extract at the same time that you’re adding the butter)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, chill
• 2 TBSP cold water
• FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
• 6 ounces cream cheese, (leave out in room temperature for 30 minutes)
• ¼ cup + 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla powder, or ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 egg
• THE TOPPING
• ¼ cup seedless raspberry jam
• 24 ripe blackberries, wash then pat dry with a paper towel

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F, center rack
2. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla powder (if using vanilla extract, add it with the butter), and cocoa powder to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture and use a pastry blender or a fork to cut it into the rest of the ingredients until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
4. Drizzle the cold water one tablespoon at a time over the flour and butter mixture and stir with a fork until all the dry ingredients are moistened and form a moist ball of dough.
5. Use a 1-tablespoon scooper to divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each into a ball by rolling it in the palm of your hands. Place the balls of dough in the greased mini muffin cups. Use your fingertip to press the dough to the bottom and up the sides of each cup to form the chocolate crust that will hold the cheesecake batter. Set aside.
6. In a mixing bowl fitted with beater attachment and set on medium low speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
7. Beat in milk and vanilla. Reduce speed to LOW and add the egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat only until combined, do not overbeat.
8. Spoon little less than 1 tablespoon into each chocolate cup. Scrape the sides of the bowl to get every bit of the mixture and fill the chocolate cups evenly.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until slightly firm when touched with the tip of your finger. The cheesecakes rise as they bake, then they fall once cooled and make a perfect indentation for the raspberry jam.
10. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
11. Use the tip of a butter knife to carefully lift out the baked mini cheesecakes from the cups and cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
12. Add about ⅓ tsp seedless raspberry jam in the center of each cheesecake and top it with one blackberry.
13. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

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