Saturday, November 28, 2009

Weekend Cooking, Christmas Goodies #2


Thanks to our Weekend Cooking host, Beth of Beth Fish Reads. I think she's still in shock that I'm one of the contributors! If you'd like to see what other weekend cooks are sharing, just click on the logo above.

Last week, I told you all a bit about my Christmas Eve feasts for all the employees who worked up front at my Target store. Each year, more and more people from my work area brought in food to contribute, so it wasn't just a huge smorgasbord of desserts. There were big pans of homemade enchiladas, fresh fruits and veggies, crockpots filled with chilis and stews, and more. It seemed as though, once they realized that they truly were appreciated, they wanted to contribute to the bounty. By the second annual Christmas Eve feast, my little idea had turned into something very magical.

This week I'm going to share another recipe for a dessert that turned into a big hit. The recipe has a lot going for it: versatility in that you can use different cookies and toppings, and it's very easy to bake up several batches. I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Miniature Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

24 vanilla wafer cookies
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (12 ounce) can cherry pie filling


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil baking liners. Place one vanilla wafer in each cup.
  2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the nutmeg and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely, then top with cherry pie filling. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

A word of warning: these things are a bit like Lay's Potato Chips; very few people can stop at eating just one. 24 little cheesecakes won't last very long!

7 comments:

  1. Those look fabulous and easy. Okay, so I'm a bit crazy, but I host a July 4 party and I'm thinking blueberry, cherry, and sour cream toppings arranged as a flag on the tray. Just call me Martha (It's a good thing).

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  2. This looks like a great and versatile recipe to have in one's repertoire. I love cheesecake and this would be good for those times I don't want to serve/make a big conventional cheesecake. Thanks for the recipe.

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  3. I've had something similar to these at a party and they did disappear very fast - if you hesitated you were left out.

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  4. I don't usually tackle dessert, but I think I could pull this one off! Sounds delish!

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  5. those look great and you are right that you could change the cookie and the topping and easily make different ones.

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  6. Great recipe thanks ;0)
    my post here:
    http://holisticknitter.blogspot.com/2009/11/weekend-cooking-food-meme.html

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  7. Beth...errr...Martha-- You're not crazy because my mother did that years ago!

    Margot JR-- You're welcome. I hope you receive many compliments from it.

    Kathy-- Exactly. He who hesitates is lost!

    Jill-- This time of year is about the only time of year that I "do" desserts, and if I'm making them, they have to be easy!

    Caite-- I've used ginger snaps for the bottoms... any sort of round cookie will work if it fits in the bottom of the paper liners. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, jams, and other preserves... all work well as toppings for these little beauties!

    Lynda-- Thanks for stopping by! I'll have to take a look at your post soon!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!