Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to start thinking about summer desserts.  School is almost out, the temps are warming up and it’s time for Memorial Day.  I think we should celebrate with Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes.

These are little bites (or two) of delicious, summery, cheesecake perfection, topped with homemade strawberry sauce and anchored with a buttery graham cracker crust.  I love mini desserts like these, especially when entertaining, as it seems like guests are always game for a mini dessert.   My friends at In The Raw asked me to create a recipe that’s perfect for Memorial Day, using Stevia In The Raw®, their zero calorie sweetener.   Thanks to In The Raw for sponsoring this post.

While cheesecake can sometimes be a bit intimidating, I find mini cheesecakes are really approachable and simple to make.  And I’ll share a little cheesecake secret of mine…

When you are topping with a sauce such as this homemade strawberry sauce, you really don’t need to worry about that common cheesecake problem of the top cracking.  You are covering the top right up, so no worries!

These mini cheesecakes, and the strawberry sauce, are both made using Stevia In The Raw®.  Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag, measures cup for cup just like sugar, and is a great way to reduce sugar and calories in baked goods.  For best baking results, start by using ½ sugar, ½ Stevia In The Raw zero calorie sweetener.  For example if the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, use ½ cup Stevia In The Raw and ½ cup sugar. This will ensure proper rising and browning, and is exactly what I did with this recipe.  I love how easy Stevia In The Raw is to bake with!  You can learn more about baking with Stevia In The Raw here.

This recipe is so simple to whip up, and is such a great way to end a Memorial Day Get Together or summer cookout.  The ingredients are really simple, graham cracker crumbs, butter, Stevia In The Raw®, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, eggs and strawberries.   I used a mini cheesecake pan, but you can also use a muffin/cupcake pan.

I start by making my crusts, which consist of graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, Stevia In The Raw® and sugar.   Once those are combined to make my crust, they are scooped into my pan.  I love to use a cookie scoop for this, it gives me the right amount for each mini cheesecake.

After your crusts are ready in your pan, you combine your softened cream cheese, Stevia In The Raw®, sugar, vanilla and eggs, and once well combined and smooth that goes into you pan (which I like to use an ice cream scoop for – I’m big on scoops!), then into the oven they go to bake.  Seriously simple cheesecake here.

After baking my cheesecakes, I allow them to cool, then I create my strawberry sauce. I use frozen strawberries for my sauce, mainly because both of my daughters love strawberries so much that almost any time I buy strawberries and think I’ll make a sauce from them, they are gone before I get a chance.  So frozen has become my dependable standby for sauces.  The sauce consists of frozen strawberries, thawed, a little bit of water and both Stevia In The Raw® and sugar.  Those items are cooked in a pan and blended together (I use my immersion blender for this), then cooled.

When I’m ready to serve my cheesecakes, I top them with strawberry sauce (and a fresh strawberry if my kiddos have left me any) and I have a delicious and simple dessert that everyone loves.

MINI STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKES

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

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Ingredients

Cheesecakes

• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 TBSP Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
• 1 TSBP sugar
• 5 TBSP butter melted
• 3 packages 8 oz each of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs

Strawberry Sauce

• 1 16 oz bag frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1/4 cup Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.
• If using a cupcake pan, place liners in 18 cupcake cavities. If using a mini cheesecake pan, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
• Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1 TBSP Stevia In The Raw®, 1 TBSP sugar and melted butter and stir well to combine. Divide mixture among 18 muffin cups or mini cheesecake cups. Press into each cavity. I find a very small glass with a flat bottom can help press down the crumbs nicely. Set aside.
• Beat softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup Stevia In The Raw®, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs in, one at a time, mixing gently after each egg. Once all ingredients are combined, scoop into pan over prepared crusts.
• Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until centers start to set. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place in the fridge to store.
• To prepare your strawberry sauce, combine thawed frozen strawberries, Stevia In The Raw®, sugar and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil stirring well. Using either a fork, potato masher or immersion blender, break down strawberries to create a smooth sauce. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, place in fridge to store.
• Once ready to serve, remove mini cheesecakes from the fridge, top with strawberry sauce, serve and enjoy!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of In The Raw via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.