This year for my family Christmas party I was asked to make dessert – my favorite thing to make for any party! There were about 40 people coming to the party, so I had to make a lot of dessert.
I love serving mini cheesecakes. Everyone gets their own personal cheesecake, it’s easy to serve, and by baking a fruit swirl into the cheesecake, it’s already decorated and ready to eat.
Walkers sent me a collection of their delicious, buttery shortbread cookies and I decided they would make a fabulous cheesecake crust. So I made 4 dozen mini cheesecakes; 1 dozen mini lemon cheesecakes with a Walkers Lemon Thins crust, 2 dozen mini raspberry swirl cheesecakes with a Walkers Raspberry Thins crust, and 1 dozen blackberry swirl mini cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust.
All the flavors were rich, creamy and fabulous, but the lemon swirl mini cheesecakes were my favorite.
The berry/lemon swirl is easy to do. I just warm some jam/lemon curd in a baggie in the microwave. Trim one corner of the baggie and swirl the jam/curd on top of the cheessecake.
Lemon and Berry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Walkers Lemon Thins crumbs (1 package)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
- ½ Cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300º. In a medium bowl, combined cookie crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Divide crumbs evenly into 12 mini cheesecake or muffin cups. With fingers or round end of a wooden spoon, press crust down evenly.
- In a stand or electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add in eggs one at a time following with the vanilla, sour cream, pinch of salt. Mix until just combined.
- Fill each crust almost to the top with cheesecake batter. Pipe about a teaspoon of lemon curd on top of each mini cheesecake and swirl curd into batter with a knife or toothpick to make a pretty design on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Remove from oven and let sit in pan at room temperature for 30 minutes before removing. Transfer mini cheesecakes to a cooling rack to cool completely, another 30 minutes or so. Refrigerate until serving.
- Lemon Curd
- Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon until consistency is smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Let cool; refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour. Store, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 2 days. (This lemon curd recipe makes more than is necessary for for one batch of mini cheesecakes.)
Faith
I love the idea of mini cheesecakes — perfect for portion control! These look fantastic, Barbara!
Juanita
I really adore individual serving size puddings – they rock! Happy holidays!
Delishhh
I love these. They are adorable and great idea. So colorful too. I hope you had a great holiday! Happy New Year! I can’t belive the year is almost over!
Cookin' Canuck
I absolutely love this idea, Barbara! Not only do they make a beautiful presentation, but I am sure that they taste fantastic.
blackbookkitchendiaries
this are just wonderful! i love how cute they look. thank you for sharing this.
Crustabakes
wow. each of ur cheesecake is so well marbled! they look very pretty!
tasteofbeirut
I have made these mini-cheesecakes in the past and you are right to make them here; they are always a big hit, easy to make, can be frozen, bite-size calories so not too bad, what is there not to like? plus yours offer a choice of flavor accents. Perfect!
Kathy
They were DELICIOUS!!!
Marla
Merry Christmas Barbara!! These mini cheesecakes would be the hit of any party! XO
Jamie
Oh, Barbara, these are so beautiful – and really festive. I love this idea of different flavored mini treats. Perfect! Wishing you and your loved ones a truly joyous and merry holiday season, my dear friend! xo
sameena
wow..They lookk awesome…Merry x’mas to you dear!!:)
HoneyB
These are gorgeous Barbara! Merry Christmas!
the blissful baker
your mini cheesecakes look so scrumptious and adorable!
FOODESSA
One can never go wrong in offering mini-treats like these. Great dessert ;o)
Barbara, here’s wishing you the very best during this difficult holiday period and hoping that the New year will bring on only good things for you and your loved ones ;o)
Ciao for now,
Claudia
Lacy Wolfe
Mini cheesecakes area great idea for a crowd, and they look fantastic! The swirls on top are so cute.
Anna Johnston
Wow, what a great idea making individual little cheesecakes, brilliant. Have a wonderful Christmas Barbara. Stay safe, eat lots & laugh even more & enjoy!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Yum! These look so delicious mum and I’m not surprised that they asked you to make dessert-but of course! You are the dessert queen 😉 I hope you and your family (hehe my adopted family 😛 ) have a wonderful Christmas with lots of love and laughter 😀 xxx
Linda V @ Bubble and Sweet
How perfect do these little cheesecakes look, I love mini’s too but one is never enough. Best wishes for Christmas and I will be checking up to see what your baking in the new year.
Mardi@eatlivetravelwrite
Barbara these are totally inspired! I *LOVE* the idea of a shortbread crust! You are a genius!
Juliana
Oh Barbara, these mini cheesecakes are great…so festive the colors, absolutely perfect to celebrate the holidays 🙂