Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes To Feed a Crowd

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Today I am guest posting over at Today's Creative Life. I am sharing a yummy dessert that you just might want to make for the long weekend, especially if you are entertaining! I hope you will click on the link and stop by!

See you over at Today's Creative Life!

Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes

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These Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes are my goodbye nod to a fun and wonderful summer! Thank you 

"Summer of  '15"!! It's been a blast and I will miss you!

If you are still celebrating summer, you will want to try these mini cheesecakes. They are tangy, sweet, and creamy plus they give a little welcome relief for the still very hot and humid days we are having here in North Carolina and everywhere else! These cheesecakes would be great to serve at a party because they can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until it's time to make the whipped cream. They are elegant enough to serve as dessert for a special dinner, and for a different look, you could make a lime sauce or even a chocolate drizzle to top them off. And they are simple enough for everyday treats! No matter what occasion you make them for, you are going to love them!

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bites

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It is reveal day for the Improv Cooking Challenge! This month the ingredients are crackers and cheese so I made these Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bites! This is not my "go to" cheesecake recipe that I usually bake, although I still adore it. I wanted to get outside my comfort zone and try a totally new cheesecake recipe, and I am so glad I did. It has a deep vanilla bean flavor that I know you are going to love.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bites

(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients

Crust

8-10 Chocolate Graham Crackers 

5 tablespoons Butter

4 tablespoons Confectioners Sugar

pinch of salt

1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

5 tablespoons Butter

Batter

2-8 ounce packs Cream Cheese (at room temperature)

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

3 large Eggs

3 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Extract

Topping

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tablespoon Confectioners Sugar

1 cup Milk Chocolate Morsels

2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Take your Chocolate Graham Crackers and put them 

in the food processor and pulse until crumbly.

 You can crush your crackers by placing them in a 

plastic bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin.

Both methods work great!

Melt your butter in the microwave.

Add the sugar, salt,and cinnamon to the food processor

and pulse until well combined. If you are not using this method,

 you can combine the ingredients with a fork or spoon.

Place the crust into an 8X8 pan. 

Come up the sides approx. 1/2". 

Flatten on the bottom.

Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.

Mix the cream cheese and the sugar together until smooth.

Add the cream, eggs, and vanilla.

Spoon the batter into the crust.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

The batter should be set on the edges, but the center

can be a little soft.

Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes.

While the cheesecake is cooling, make your ganache.

Place your chocolate morsels in a double boiler on 

low heat. Melt chocolate, stirring every couple minutes.

When chocolate is completely melted, add your

whipping cream and stir thoroughly to combine.

Let it sit on very low heat while we make the whipping cream.

Place your heavy whipping cream in the mixer.

Let cream whip until peaks begin to form.

Add confectioners sugar and allow stiff peaks to form.

Remove whipped cream from bowl and place in

a pastry bag with a star tip of your choice.

Remove your cheesecake from the pan and cut into 

bite sized pieces. Ok, these are LARGE bites! ha!

Drizzle your ganache all over the bites.

Top your bites with whipped cream dollops.

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me today, and when you make these

cheesecake bites, you might want to make two batches.

They practically flew out of the kitchen!!

There is a lot more where this came from!

See what everyone else made with cheese and crackers: