Makes 6 mini cheesecakes
If you are making this recipe for the first time, read through the entire recipe before you start
Ingredients for the crust
1/2C Chocolate wafers
1T Dark brown sugar
2T Butter
Ingredients for the filling
1/2C Heavy cream (cold)
8oz Philadelphia cream cheese
2-1/2T Granulated sugar
1T Sour cream or plain yogurt at room temperature
1/2t Fresh lemon juice
1/4t Pure vanilla extract
Optional Desired toppings
Process
Line one 6 count muffin pan with 2 liners per cup
Make sure you have room in the refrigerator for the muffin pan
Prepare the crust
If your chocolate wafers aren’t crumbs, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs
Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl
Stir in the brown sugar, and melted butter until combined
Mixture will have the consistency of wet sand
Spoon 1T of the crust mixture into each muffin liner and use the back of a spoon to pack it down tightly
The next step is optional but we always do it
Bake crusts for a quick 5 minutes in a 350F oven. The crusts are a little sturdier this way, but if you can’t use an oven or simply don’t want to, you can skip this step. The crust will just be crumblier.
If baking, let the warm crusts cool for 10 MINUTES before adding the filling on top
Make the filling
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium high speed, about 3 minutes
Set aside
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle
Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium high speed until smooth, and creamy
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed
Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Beat on medium high speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute
Make sure there no large lumps of cream cheese.
If there are lumps keep beating until smooth
Using your mixer on low speed, or a rubber spatula
Fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined
This takes several turns of your spatula
Combine slowly because you don’t want to deflate the air in the whipped cream
Use a spoon, piping bag, or ice cream scoop to transfer the filling on top of the crusts
Use the back of a spoon to smooth the tops
Refrigerate for 3 hours and up to 2 days
If refrigerating for more than 3 hours cover with plastic wrap
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serve with raspberry jam topping
Cover and store leftover mini cheesecakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
NOTES
Freezing the cakes: Remove the cakes from the muffin pan keeping the liners on them.
Lay out in a single layer in a freezer friendly container.
Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months
Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving
MORE NOTES AND OPTIONS
Lemon Juice
This cheesecake does not taste like lemon.
For lemon flavored cheesecakes replace the sour cream with 2T of fresh lemon juice in addition to the 1t of lemon juice the recipe already calls for and add 2T of lemon zest
Room temperature ingredients
Bring the cream cheese and sour cream to room temperature before beginning.
Room temperature ingredients guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling
The heavy cream, however MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks
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