Mini Cheesecakes - - Perfect to have on hand to meet your goals, whether you're making them diet friendly and want something to grab to avoid cheats, or - - like me - - you're trying to get incredibly fat (AKA: pregnant/breastfeeding)
For this you'll need:
1. Cupcake Liners
2. Frozen fruit of choice
3. Crust
4. Cheesecake batter
5. Toasted nuts for topping.
(I'll include recipes/suggestions at the bottom for various directions you can go with each. In this batch I made 3x the recipes for a single cheesecake)
First things first: take the frozen fruit of your choice and allow to thaw.
Then poke holes in the bottom corner and squeeze the extra juices out so they don't make your cheesecakes soggy.
Next, put the cupcake papers in and add your crust to the bottom or your muffin tins. Then throw together your cheesecake batter, adding a couple of tablespoons on top of the crust, but leaving the cup at least half empty.
Add a layer of fruit. Enough to spread across, but not filling the cup up! You still need to add more cheesecake!
Add the rest of the batter to the tops of the cups and sprinkle on some toasted nuts for extra crunch and flavor (I love oven toasted pecan pieces)
Pop into the oven to bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven once fully solid (no longer jiggly in the middle) and beginning to brown.
Allow to cool.
Try not to eat them while they're still hot! I find they have much better flavor once cool anyway. (that has never stopped me, so I know really well how disappointing they can be while burning the roof of your mouth -- they taste much better if you wait until they're full cooled or cold)
Once cool - - place in bags or your container of choice (I recommend labeling with the name and date!).
Place flat in freezer and try not to eat them all at once. This goes against the point....
I know you're pregnant, Carissa, but I didn't do all of that work for you to eat them immediately.
Try not to obsess about when you get to eat more. AND THEN TEACH ME YOUR REMEDY FOR THE OBSESSION.
*suggestions for recipes:
CHEESECAKE and CRUSTS
Vegan -- http://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-cheesecakes/
Low Fat -- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/low-fat-cheesecake-recipe.html
THM -- Cookbook, Cheesecake: page 332 Crusts start on page 323
(for my crust, I just put roughly chopped almonds at the bottom or each cup. Simple, delicious, and avoids most dietary restrictions)