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Monday, August 19, 2013

Strawberry Cheesecakes

There are so many recipes to try that I always have a hard time picking one from my baking board on Pinterest. Now I know I just need Kyle to take a quick look at it with me, and his reactions to the pretty pictures of cupcakes and brownies make my answer for me.

He saw the pin for strawberry cheesecake bites and cried "Why haven't you made these for me???" So I click the link and there's a blog post, and a picture of a happy couple mixed in there. "We could be as happy as this couple if you make these!!"

How could I say no to that?

These strawberry cheesecake bites are delicious. They're great for summertime, since they're cold and refreshing. The original recipe makes them into smaller bites, but I set them in cupcake tins because I thought that sounded more fun.


 They are fairly easy to make. I filled a few with more crust, because the graham cracker crust is so crunchy and tastes great after the fruity, creamy "cupcake." The recipe says to refrigerate for two hours before serving. Mine didn't want to set too well in the fridge - I think I may have filled them too high with the cream cheese mixture. I kept them in the freezer and just took them out about five minutes before Kyle and I dove in. We split one, and instant happiness and bliss was achieved:


This is payback for always stealing my camera.



 Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Makes 16 cupcakes

ingredients:

for the strawberry cheesecake:
2 cups strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3 tbsp + 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp + 1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup boiling water
1 tbsp plain gelatin
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
8 oz cream cheese
¼ tsp salt
for the graham cracker crust:
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

directions:

for the strawberry cheesecake:
- Combine strawberries, 3 tbsp sugar, and 2 tsp lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Push mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Set aside.
- Mix gelatin and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fit with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream to form stiff peaks. Add the cream cheese, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and salt, and beat on medium-high speed until mixer is smooth and well incorporated, at least 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the gelatin mixture to the cream mixture and gently fold to blend. Add the strawberry puree and continue to slowly fold the mixture until well incorporated.
for the graham cracker crust
- Line cupcake pan with liners
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl.
- Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Press a ~ ¼” thickness of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each well. Use the bottom of a shot glass or small cup to flatten out each crust.
- Divide the strawberry cheesecake mixture evenly among the cupcake wells and refrigerate (or freeze) for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and a strawberry slice if desired.





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