If you know anything about me, my favorite of all desserts are cheesecakes. I cannot explain my love for the creamy, sweet and thick center paired with the crunchy foundation of the crust; then there's the toppings which can be anything your heart desires.
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I love cheesecakes of all kinds, including no bake, cheesecake parfaits, baked, store bought, homemade, you name it! What I particularly love about these cheesecakes are how simple they are to make, they are basically no fail, take little time to bake and cool, and needs no water bath!
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A typical baked cheesecake is best when a water bath is used, and also takes quite a while to bake along with specific temperature changed to ensure no cracking. We will be baking these at 350 F and they can be removed immediately after baking, reducing cooling time.
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Let's jump right into this delicious recipe, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do! We hope they can become a staple on your dinner table and during your holiday season.
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1. Pre-heat oven t0 350 degrees F
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2. Run graham crackers through a food processor until they become fine crumbs, or place graham crackers in a sealed bag and using a rolling pin to turn crackers until fine crumbs.
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3. Add ground cinnamon and mix well with the crumbs.
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4. Pour in butter over crumbs and mix well until it looks like wet sand.
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5. Line cupcake pan with liners.
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6. Add in 2 tablespoons of your crumbs into each cupcake liner.
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7. Using the back of a measuring cup press down crumbs to make an even layer.
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8. With cream cheese at room temperature, cream together using a hand, or stand mixer. You can also you a whisk. Cream well until nice and smooth.
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6. Add in sweetened condensed milk and mix well until thoroughly combined.
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7. Add in zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon, vanilla and sour cream. Mix and cream until everything is combined.
You can also substitute for 1 teaspoon of lemon extract for the lemon extract and juice. Mix well.
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8. Add in one egg at a time and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix your eggs.
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9. Place into oven at 350 F for 18 minutes.
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10. Remove and set aside to cool completely before refrigerating.
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11. After cooling, serve with canned fruit (I used canned strawberry filling), fresh fruit, caramel syrup, whipped cream, fruit compote or any topping of your choice.
