4.15.2010

mini baked strawberry cheesecakes

Yesterday, we celebrated my husband's forty something birthday. Time got away from me and I found myself scrambling to come up with a birthday cake. I asked him earlier this week what kind of cake he wanted and he replied with a "Whatever." and an "It doesn't matter to me."...so not helpful! Well, I know for a fact he doesn't like chocolate so that was definitely out. I was about ready to shop for carrot cake ingredients when I found these adorable mini cheesecakes in my 500 cupcakes cookbook.

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I've never baked a cheesecake so I was a bit nervous about how...and if they would turn out.

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I put on my apron, rolled up my sleeves and repeated, "You're a Big, Brave Dog. You're a Big, Brave Dog." several times, had a shot of brandy (totally kidding!) and set to work. ;0)

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The original crust is graham cracker. My husband is a fan of gingersnaps and I thought they would make for a zippier crust. Trader Joe's sells triple gingersnap cookies and boy, are they fabulous. Such a nice kick of ginger!

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These mini cheesecakes were so fantastic and not nearly as hard to make as I'd imagined. Whew!

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Our sweet boy did the honors.

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Rosie couldn't stand all of the excitement so she slipped her eye mask over her eyes and took a snooze.

mini baked strawberry cheesecakes
inspired by 500 cupcakes

makes 24 cheesecakes

print recipe

2 cups gingersnap cookies
10 tbsp melted butter
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups softened cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
fresh sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 24 paper baking cups into muffin pans.

Put the cookies into a food processor and pulse until you end up with course crumbs. Stir in the butter. Place a tbsp of this mixture into each paper cup and press firmly into the bottom. Chill until set.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta until smooth. Add the cream cheese, vanilla and confectioner's sugar, blending until smooth. Slowly add the eggs, blending well. Spoon mixture evenly into each cup over crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes. Then, remove the cheesecakes and cool on a wire rack. Chill until ready to serve. Top with sliced strawberries.

A good time was had by all and I cannot wait to make these little darlings again very soon!

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36 comments:

MaryMoh said...

Happy Birthday to your hubby! These mini cheesecakes look gorgeous! Maybe I should make them for my hubby's birthday too :P

Christo Gonzales said...

happy birthday - you did a great job - one more hurdle jumped.

Angie's Recipes said...

Happy Birthday to your husband!
Love petite cheesecakes!

scrappysue said...

happy 40 something birthday mr ungourmet! those cheesecakes look very tasty indeed

Joanne said...

happy birthday to your husband! he must have loved these...they look like minicakes of heaven! Love the fresh strawbs on top and what great photos!

Taylor said...

These are so cute! Happy Birthday Mr. Ungourmet!

TKW said...

Happy birthday to your stud muffin! Those cheesecakes are so cute! Did you know that you can actually just put the cookie at the bottom of the muffin tin and it will work like a crust?

Tip from Queen of Lazy, obviously. :)

Jeannie said...

Hmmm great success for a first time cheesecake baker! They look delicious! Happy birthday to your mister!

Shelby said...

Very pretty and I love your doggie! Happy birthday to your hubby!

Unknown said...

Wow what a beautiful job. I've never made a cheesecake either, so now after you did it, maybe i should give it a try!
Happy birthday to your hubby!
*kisses* HH

Stephanie said...

Ooh, yum! Those turned out perfectly!

Love the idea of using gingersnaps! I'm not a big fan of graham cracker crusts, so I tend to use vanilla wafers or make my own shortbread crust.

Erin said...

Oh my gosh - those look amazing! How delicious and perfectly sized. Mini food is my favorite. (That was you can eat 2 or 3 and you think "ah, it's just something small so it doesn't matter".)

Randi Troxell said...

happy b/day to your hubs...

and btw- my hubby would marry YOU over these.. lol

have a great wkend!!!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

H B-day to the man... he deserves this treat!

And thanks for sharing... It's on my must make soon list!

Pam said...

They look great! Happy b-day to your hubby! You certainly were good to him with the baking! Your dog is adorable!

Michelle said...

WOW...with all that ricotta and cream cheese I bet they were fantastic.

My husband is the same when I ask him about his birthday cake and I know he really wants Chocolate Chip Cookies!

noble pig said...

Okay I have to make these, I have a box of gingersnaps in the kitchen!!

Jenn said...

Happy birthday to your hubby!!!! I'm glad you found a quick solution. Cheesecake cupcakes are perfect without having to take out any dishes.

Janice said...

I love baked cheesecakes and gingersnaps are the way to go - yummy! Happy Birthday to your hubby!

Connie said...

You've just made me realize that THIS is what I want for my birthday...I'm not a fan of cake. But I love cheese cake!

Happy Birthday to your hubby!

teresa said...

looks like a perfect birthday treat, they're so pretty!

Cathy said...

Oh dear, I can't imagine somebody who doesn't like chocolate. These little cheesecakes looks delicious, Kim, especially when topped with a fresh berry. I made something similar in the past and couldn't get it out of the pans. Next time I'll use papers.

Happy Birthday to your hubby.

Molly Anne said...

I'm a recent convert to the cheesecake fandom so I think this would be perfect for me since the portion is just the right size.

And I love the gingersnap crust! I really like how you personalize recipes.

Nadji said...

De magnifiques petits gâteaux.
Je note ta recette.
Bon weekend.

Taste of Beirut said...

Kim

Happy b-day to hubby and great initiative on your part! Much better than a huge cake that one feels compelled to eat! At least these can be frozen later; like the ricotta in them and they look adorable!

Reeni said...

Lovely little cheesecakes! Such a good idea to use the gingersnaps. Happy Birthday to hubby!

Anonymous said...

These are so adorable and they sound great with gingersnap cookie crust! Happy belated birthday to your husband!

motherrimmy said...

Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to make these today, but I think I'll use chocolate cookies for the crust. They look delicious!

Rhiannon Bosse said...

Awe Happy Birthday to your hubs!! :) What gorgeous photos! xo

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Ahhhh, I want a whole plate of those right now. They look amazing!

motherrimmy said...

I made this tonight with graham cracker crust and blueberries. Terrific!

ck said...

Love that photo of Rosie.

(And Happy B-day to your husband!)

Talita said...

So creamy and yummy! I love cheesecake! I'm late but happy b-day to your husband.

Katy ~ said...

Bookmarking these beauties. I can see them being so versatile for so many occasions.

Happy birthday to your beloved.

Your son is just too cute serving his dad his cheesecake.

And I howled with laughter at Rosie's eyemask!

Unknown said...

YAY! Its a mini cheesecake recipe that doesn't use a vanilla wafer as the "crust". what fun and cheesecake is my favorite....can't wait to give these a try :)

Delicious Dishings said...

These are so cute! The ginger snap crust sounds so much more exciting than the usual graham cracker crust. Happy birthday to your husband!

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