Shelly's Recipe

LEMON CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES

Category: Cheesecake

Cookie base:
3 1/2 oz gingersnap or shortbread cookies
2 oz ground almonds
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
3+1/2 oz heavy cream or sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
5 oz mulberries or any kind of berry
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 325. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases and set aside.

Crush the cookies to fine crumbs and mix with ground almonds, sugar and melted butter. Press 1 heaped tbsp of mixture into the base of each muffin case and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Beat the cream cheese, heavy cream and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest, beating well after each addition. Rap the mixer bowl hard on your counter to knock out the air bubbles trapped inside the filling. Spoon the mixture over the cookie bases 3/4 full.

Press three mulberries into the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecakes are puffed and starting to color. Cool, then chill until ready to eat. .Decorate each cheesecake with more mulberries and dust with powdered sugar to serve.