Cheesecake Bites

My love for cheesecake began about 35 years ago. Greg and I met during the 'disaster' movie era (think Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Towering Inferno, Airport). Each Friday we would enjoy the current disaster, go out to dinner and finish the evening at my house chatting with my little brothers, parents and watching TV.

One night Greg produced a 'Reams' sack with a Jello Cheesecake mix. Simple; add butter to the package of cracker crumbs, press into a pie pan. Add milk to the dry 'cheesecake mix', beat for 2 minutes, pour the thick creamy liquid into the cracker crust and in 30 minutes you had 'cheesecake', or something close to it. It was a hit, we made cheesecake often during our dating days.

My taste for cheesecake is now a bit more refined, but hey, it had to start somewhere!

Amber surprised me on Mother's Day with this fun 'mini' cheesecake pan. This is the recipe on the back of the box and it is delish. The lemon flavor is tangy, the cheesecake is rich. It is a bite of wonderful. Thanks Amber and Tadd.

Cheesecake Bites
Crust:
1 cup cookie or cracker crumbs
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Mix together and divide between 12 mini cheesecake cups, press evenly into the bottom of each cup. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, cool.
Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese
2 eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest from 1 lemon
Beat cream cheese for 2 minutes, add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add cream, lemon juice and zest, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sugar and salt, beat about 2 minutes. Pour batter into cups. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes or until set. Cool at least 2 hours before unmolding. Serve with fresh berries.
Linked to: A Well Seasoned Life