Mini Chilled Cheesecakes

Makes 24

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
  • 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
  • 16 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

Crust

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
  2. Line two standard 12-count muffin pans with cupcake liners. Make sure you have room in your refrigerator for both pans
  3. If your graham crackers aren’t crumbs yet, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Spoon 1 and ½ Tablespoons of the crust mixture into each cupcake liner and use the back of the spoon (or shot glass) to pack it down tightly
  4. Bake the crusts in your preheated oven for 5 mins. Remove and let the warm crusts cool while you make the filling

Filling

  1. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed
  3. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
  4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate the mixture
  5. Using a spoon or piping bag to transfer the filling on top of the crusts. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the tops so they are flat
  6. Refrigerate the mini cheesecakes in the pans for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days
  7. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve topped with whipped cream; fresh fruit or fruit sauce
  8. Cover and store leftover mini cheesecakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days