Hayley Parker is the 23-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of The Domestic Rebel. She lives in Sacramento, California, where she loves to play with her three-legged dog, laugh a lot, and bake easy, no-fuss recipes to share with her readers. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors for desserts, simply because it knows no season. Lemon tastes fabulous in the spring, refreshing in the summer, bright in the fall, and comforting in the winter. I absolutely adore using fresh lemon zest to add brightness to a cake, or using fresh lemon juice for some much-needed acidity in a sweet buttercream. Plus, lemon desserts are my favorite, so you know I’ll love them all.
These Mini Lemon Cheesecakes are no exception to that rule. Bright, zesty and creamy, they’re bursting with juicy, fresh-squeezed lemon flavor in a rich and smooth cheesecake. The crust is composed of lemon-flavored golden sandwich cookies for an extra punch of lemon and sweetness. And whether you eat them plain, adorned with lemon curd (my favorite!) or topped with fresh whipped cream, they’re a winner no matter what!
This recipe uses the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor, which makes the crust a breeze to whip up. Just assemble your stand mixer with the blade attachment, add in about 20 sandwich cookies, snap the lid to secure, and hit the ‘Pulse’ button continuously until the cookies are ground into a fine crumb. It takes seconds, is faster and cleaner than crushing them by hand, and the Stack & Snap is both quiet and efficient, saving you plenty of time so you have more time to spend eating cheesecake and less time preparing.
The Stack & Snap Food Processor also has another featured attachment: the slicer and grater plate. Simply attach the plate into the food processor bowl and quickly grate or slice veggies, meats, and cheeses. I use this all the time when I want to grate fresh cheese for a dinner or slice lemons for lemonade. It’s so easy!
Together, lemons and the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor are the stars of this recipe and can do no wrong in my eyes … unless, of course, you count running out of cheesecakes. Then I’d say it’s time to make more!
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 12-cavity muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. In the Stack & Snap Food Processor bowl, add the golden sandwich cookies. Attach the bowl to the food processor stand, secure the lid, and pulse until the mixture resembles finely ground crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the melted butter, stirring until moistened. Drop Tablespoons of the crumb mixture into the paper liners and press with your knuckles or the back of a spoon until a crust forms. Bake the crusts for about 7 minutes.
- While the crusts bake, make your cheesecake filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and white sugar with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and sour cream until combined and smooth.
- Portion two heaping Tablespoons of cheesecake batter into the partially-baked cups. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the cheesecakes appear dull and jiggle only slightly when touched. Do not over-bake, as the cheesecakes cool they will continue to set up. Cool the cheesecakes completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to set up before serving. Serve with freshly whipped cream, lemon curd, or even chocolate sauce.
Whether you are cooking for two or prepping a large family meal, the Hamilton Beach® Stack & Snap™ 12 Cup Food Processor takes the guesswork out of food processing with a simple function guide that shows you which blade to use and which button to press. Designed to be uniquely simple – there’s no twisting, turning or locking required when assembling the food processor.
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