Foodie Fridays: Mini-Cheesecakes

From Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

While cheesecake is not one of my favorite desserts, I do prefer ones made with less cream cheese (any recipe that calls for more than two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese is too dense, in my opinion).  I like this recipe because the portion size is small and the amount of cream cheese is reasonable.  My favorite topping is canned cherry pie filling, which I am embarrassed to admit because the stuff is mostly goopy filling, but at least as a topping you can limit the amount of filling used (I find three cherries per mini-cheesecake to be the perfect amount).  You can also use chocolate vanilla wafers and stir mini-chocolate chips into the batter, then top with cherry pie filling for a black forest version, or leave off the cherries if you want just chocolate.  Use your imagination and make this easy recipe suit your own tastes!

Mini-Cheesecakes

12 vanilla wafers
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

Line a muffin tin with foil liners.  Place a vanilla wafer in each liner.  Beat together the next three ingredients.  Mix in eggs.  Pour over wafers, filling 3/4 full.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool and remove from the tin.  Chill.  Top with fresh fruit, pie filling, preserves, nuts, etc. if desired.  Serves 12.