New Recipe: Conversation Heart Mini Cheesecakes

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

With Valentines Day right around the corner I thought I would share with you the recipe for the mini conversation heart cheesecakes that I made for V-Day last year. Here's one thing you should know before attempting them, the recipe is a little time consuming so if you're going to attempt them I would make sure you leave yourself with plenty of time to complete it! The fun part about this recipe is you can personalize the cheesecakes for your special someone or friend!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (15 squares)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 pint (16 ounces) sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of cinnamon
• food coloring (I used orange, green, purple, pink and blue).

Supplies Needed:

• Mixer (or else you'll have tired hands from stirring)
• Rubber spatula
• Heart Shaped Mold Pans--- I used these but I also found these at Target
• Small paint brush (clean and paint free)
• Roasting pan to fit your heart shaped molds

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• You will be baking your cheesecakes in a water bath so bring some water to a boil in a tea pot and place it in the roasting pan (enough water so that the water goes half way up the sides of the heart pans).
• Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter, stirring until it looks like sand. 
• Spoon out a tablespoon (or so) of the crumb mixture into each heart. Press the crumbs down making it as even as you can. Refrigerate until ready to fill with cheesecake mixture.
• In a bowl with the mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. (No lumps!).
• Add sugar and eggs until creamy, then add sour cream and vanilla until completely combined.
• Equally divide the filling among 6 bowls. Add food coloring to create the colors you like. 
• Pour colored cheesecake filling into the hearts. Leave a little room at the top of each filling for the cheesecake to rise a little. 
• Put heart pan with cheesecakes into the roasting pan filled with boiling water and put the roasting pan in the oven.
• Bake cheesecakes in the water bath for about 25 minutes- when baked thoroughly, the cheesecakes should still jiggle, but not look soupy. FYI--- each oven is different- I had to cook my cheesecakes longer than the 25 minute recommendation--- just keep them in until they are no longer soupy.
• When cooked, let cheesecakes cool at room temperature for an hour. Then place in refrigerator to cool over night. 
• To add the conversation heart phrases, put red food coloring in a bowl and dip the paint brush in it as if it was a jar of ink, then paint the words onto each heart.
• ENJOY!

*** I got this recipe from Pinterest. Check out Hungry Happenings for the directions (with pictures included!)...it might be easier to reference her directions because she includes step by step pictures to this somewhat detailed recipe. ***

** Also today is the last day to enter my Proper Puppy Giveaway!**

xoxo