Mini Cheesecakes I

This is a great recipe, but if this is your first time making cheesecake some of the basics are assumed. A couple of notes for "first-timers"... make sure you read the Cheesecake Tips section of this board. This recipe doesn't tell you some of the cheesecake fundamentals like 1) Make sure your cream cheese is at room temp before you start 2)Your batter should be smooth and silky. If it is lumpy your cheesecakes will turn out badly. If needed, throw the batter in a blender/food processor to get rid of the lumps 3)You do NOT want to wait for your cheesecakes to crack before removing them from the oven. They are done before they crack, when the center is still soft. After I learned these lessons, the recipe turned out well!

These are delicious as is, but I made three different flavors using this batter with tremendous success and professional GOURMET looking results! White Chocolate Red Raspberry: mixed 1/2 cup melted white chocolate into 1/3 of the batter, swirled 1/4 cup raspberry coulis into batter before fillig muffin cups and once baked I topped each with 1/2 teaspoon warmed seedless raspberry jam and drizzled melted white chocolate over the tops. Chocolate Chip - substituted crushed oreos for nilla wafers, added 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to 1/3 of batter, once baked topped with 1/2 teaspoon chocolate ganache. Cherry Almond - substituted graham cracker crumbs for nilla wafers, added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/3 batter and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to cherry pie filling. Once baked, topped each with 1 teaspoon sweetened sour cream topping (1/2 cup sour cream + 2 tbsp sugar + 1/2 teas vanilla extract) 2-3 cherries and sliced almond. Feel free to email me at mpcharvat@yahoo.com for coulis, ganache or any other info. Thanks!

For those of you wanting a different base, use 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 8 tbls margarine and 8 tbl sugar. Mix wel with hands, press +/- a tablespoon into mini muffin papers, top with cream cheese filling and fruit. Will work like a charm!