Cheesecake Bites

This weekend we were invited to a high school graduation party in honor of my (not-so) little brother’s girlfriend Jessica.  She is a sweetheart and we were happy to celebrate with her.  Her favorite dessert is cheesecake, so I thought these cheesecake bites would be a great treat to bring for her.  Everyone really seemed to enjoy them.  These were incredibly simple to make, and the sauces on top = AMAZING.  The original cheesecake recipe says it yields 24, but I made 48 and could have made a few more.  Even with 48 cheesecakes, you could get away with making half-batches of the two toppings, but why do that when you could have some leftover to put on ice cream or pancakes, or just stuff into your mouth as I do 🙂  I particularly love the blueberry sauce and I think soon I will make some vanilla ice cream just so I can have this sauce on top.  Yum 😛

Mini Cheesecakes
Yield: 48+ cheesecakes 

Ingredients:
1 ¼ lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a mini-muffin pan with paper liners. 

To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flour and beat until combined. 

Divide the filling among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake until the cheesecakes are just set in the center, about 15 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Using a small offset spatula, transfer the cheesecakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. 

Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container at least overnight or up to 3 days.  Spoon topping onto cheesecakes just before serving. 

Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 tbsp. powdered sugar

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:
Combine ¼ of the strawberries with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Mash the strawberries with a fork until no large chunks remain.  Add the rest of the strawberries to the bowl and mix, covering the strawberries in the juices. 

Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juiceDirections:
In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, heat the blueberries and sugar until the blueberries begin to release their juices.  Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and lemon juice until lump free, then stir the slurry into the blueberries.Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Source: cheesecake recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma, strawberry sauce from Annie’s Eats, blueberry sauce adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, 10 Speed Press, 2007.