Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

These are a great dessert when you don’t have a lot of time. They can be ready in no time. No crust to make- you use vanilla wafers. The recipe just makes 6, so you can make these anytime you get a craving for cheesecake. We made these in class the other night.
So here is the recipe for the cheesecakes and the pie filling. Of course, you could use other pie fillings that you prefer. I could see making a double or triple batch and using a few different toppings.
Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
6 vanilla wafers
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
1 cup blueberry pie filling- store bought or homemade – recipe follows.
Line 6 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 wafer in each. Beat together remaining ingredients for 1 minute with electric mixer. Divide this mixture in the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and decorate with fruit topping, if desired. Makes 6. These can be frozen. Serves 2-3.
Blueberry Pie Filling
6 qts. Blueberries fresh or frozen (thawed)
6 c. sugar
2 1/4 c. Clear Gel (modified cornstarch, not regular cornstarch)
7 c. water
1/2 c. lemon juice
Wash and drain berries. If using fresh berries, blanch berries in boiling water for 1 minute- only 2 quarts at a time. Drain and keep berries warm. In large sauce pot combine sugar and Clear Gel. Stir in water and cook on high heat until mixtures bubbles and thickens. It is going to be really thick- don’t panic, just keep stirring so it won’t stick. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in berries and ladle in hot, clean canning jars immediately. Leave 1/2 -inch headspace and remove any air bubbles with a knife. Wipe rims clean and put on lids. Place jars in boiling water bath and process for 30 minutes. Start timing when water returns to the boil. Turn off heat and let jars sit in the water bath 5-10 minutes before removing to counter to cool. Cool jars on counter on rack or towel, free from drafts. Check seals next day. Remove rings and wipe down jars with a soft, damp cloth before storing. Makes 14 pints or 7 quarts. Note: You can easily cut this recipe in half. If you only want to make 1 quart the ingredient list follows.
For 1 quart
3 ½ c. blueberries
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. plus 1 T. clear gel*
1 c. cold water
3 ½ t. lemon juice
Note: If you are not canning the pie filling you can use regular cornstarch instead of clear gel. Store in fridge. Use within a week or freeze.
Source NCHFP
Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes

I love when things just fall into place. I had some cherry pie filling left over from making Danish. I wanted to use it up. I also needed a dessert for dinner with a friend. These little cheesecakes worked out as the perfect dessert for us.
To start with, it’s cheesecake, which is always a good thing. It is also a really quick recipe, and simple to make. Finally, the recipe just makes 6 little cheesecakes. Perfect for when you don’t need a whole cheesecake. Nothing stopping you from doubling, or tripling the recipe, if you need a few more. I used cherry pie filling (homemade), but you could top these with almost any pie filling or fresh fruit you liked, or even eat them plain.
Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes
6 vanilla wafers
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
chocolate syrup or sauce
cherry pie filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in 6 muffin tins and place a vanilla wafer in each one. Set aside. In medium mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg until just mixed. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15- 20 minutes. Cheesecakes will puff up and then deflates a little when cooled. Once cooled top each cheesecake with a little chocolate syrup and a spoonful of cherry pie filling. Chill. Makes 6. Serves 2-3.
Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes

I am posting this as a public service to those of you with leftover Halloween candy.
Sometimes you end up with leftover Halloween candy. You could just eat the candy- or you can transform it into a dessert.
The idea I came up with was mini cheesecakes. I’ve made them before, so I used my recipe, and just folded in crushed candy bars. Once the cheesecakes cool they deflate a little, so I also added some crushed candy bars to the top to make them look nice.
Only change from the original recipe was a slight decrease in sugar, to compensate for the extra sweetness of the candy. I went down to 1/3 cup of sugar. I think 1/4 cup would also have been enough.
I am sure a lot of different candy bars would work. I used a small food processor to really crush up the candy bars. I made 2 batches, one with cookies and cream candy bars and the other with Kit Kat bars.
Since the candy will keep, you could use the candy in a Thanksgiving dessert. Of course, the candy might not last until Thanksgiving.

Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes
12 vanilla wafers
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 c. crushed candy bars plus 1/4 c. crushed candy bar, for topping
Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 wafer in each. Beat together remaining ingredients (except candy) for 1 minute with an electric mixer. Fold in candy. Divide this mixture in the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and decorate with extra crushed candy. Makes 12. These can be frozen.
Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes

I am posting this as a public service to those of you with leftover Halloween candy.
Sometimes you end up with leftover Halloween candy. You could just eat the candy- or you can transform it into a dessert.
The idea I came up with was mini cheesecakes. I’ve made them before, so I used my recipe, and just folded in crushed candy bars. Once the cheesecakes cool they deflate a little, so I also added some crushed candy bars to the top to make them look nice.
Only change from the original recipe was a slight decrease in sugar, to compensate for the extra sweetness of the candy. I went down to 1/3 cup of sugar. I think 1/4 cup would also have been enough.
I am sure a lot of different candy bars would work. I used a small food processor to really crush up the candy bars. I made 2 batches, one with cookies and cream candy bars and the other with Kit Kat bars.
Since the candy will keep, you could use the candy in a Thanksgiving dessert. Of course, the candy might not last until Thanksgiving.
Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes
12 vanilla wafers
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 c. crushed candy bars plus 1/4 c. crushed candy bar, for topping
Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 wafer in each. Beat together remaining ingredients (except candy) for 1 minute with an electric mixer. Fold in candy. Divide this mixture in the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and decorate with extra crushed candy. Makes 12. These can be frozen.
Mini Cheesecakes

Mini Cheesecakes with Raspberries
These miniature cheesecakes are a wonderful dessert. The recipe just makes 6, so you can make cheesecake anytime. No need for a party or special occasion. Also, no need for a springform pan. These are baked in muffin tins.
The recipe is very simple. The little cheesecakes are baked in less than half and hour. Once baked and cooled, you can top them with all sorts of fruits, jams, chocolate sauce or whipped cream.
I used some raspberries for this batch. The creamy filling works so well with the tart/sweet berries. I brushed a little raspberry jam over the top, but you could also sprinkle the berries with a little sugar, if you prefer.
You can use a mix of berries and seasonal fruit. Raspberries and blueberries would make a great combination. I like fresh peaches with berries, too. They bake quickly and can be frozen. I freeze them plain, then top with fruit or jam when ready to serve.
Mini Cheesecakes
6 vanilla wafers
Filling
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 6 muffin tins with paper or foil liners and place a vanilla wafer in each cup. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, then egg. Spoon the cheese mixture into the muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until set. They will be pretty full and will puff up while baking. They will also settle when cooling. Once cooled, arrange fruit on the top of each little cheesecake.Makes 6.
For the raspberry topping, I used about a cup of raspberries and 1/2 c. of raspberry jam. I placed a few berries on each cheesecake. Then I warmed the raspberry jam and brushed it gently over the tops. Chill before serving.



