"Date Night" Cooking Class pt. II

Just in Valentine's Day or simply for a cheesecake craving, this Berry Cheesecake Bite Recipe that my friend S and I learned at cooking class is perfect. It was a perfect portion and the blueberries were a delicious pairing for the desert. I'm a huge cheesecake fan and it is probably my favorite desert, enjoy!

Berry Cheesecake Bites

Filling

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar

Crust

• 7-9 cinnamon graham crackers (or 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs + 1 tsp. cinnamon + 2 Tbsp. sugar)
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 cup blueberries, or other berry, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp water
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 cups of a mini muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup very well.
2. For the crust, if not using store bought graham cracker crumbs, break the cinnamon graham crackers into chunks and pulse them into a food processor until they are fine crumbs. (This should yield about 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs.) With the crumbs in the food processor, pulse while slowly pouring in the melted butter until combined and resembling wet sand. Divide the crumbs between 12 cups of the prepared mini muffin tin, pressing the crumbs into the bottom and a little bit up the sides to form the crust. Set aside.
3. For the filling, beat softened cream cheese and egg in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and sugar, and continue beating until combined. Spoon the spilling into each mini muffin cup, filling almost to the top.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are no longer glossy and the centers are set. Allow the cheesecakes to cool about 30 minutes at room temperature. If using paper liners, remove the cheesecakes from the pan to cool. If not, let the cheesecakes cool in the pan, then put them in the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour.
5. To prepare topping, combine berries, 2 tbsp water, and 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3-5 minutes. Combine 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in 2 teaspoons juice. Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of blueberry mixture on top of each room temperature cheesecake.
6. Once cool, store cheesecakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

S and I DEMOLISHED the Cheesecakes. All in a day's work!