I was having a dinner party and wanted to try a dessert I hadn't made before. I was looking in the healthy dessert (like that's possible!) section on food network website and saw a recipe for individual chocolate orange cheesecakes by Giada. The little things looked so beautiful! Coincidentally, I had just bought a mini muffin pan 2 weeks ago, so thought I should give it a try!
I am quite lazy about planning ahead for parties, my husband and I decide the menu on Thursday and we end up shopping for all the ingredients on Fri evening for a Sat party. So, it's a one stop shop and if I dont find one of the ingredients in that store, I just pick up some substitute.
Well, this time I couldn't find the chocolate wafers! I couldn't believe that there were no chocolate wafers in the store! So, I decided to just substitiute it with the only wafers sitting in the snack aisle, lemon wafers. Hence, the chocolate orange cheesecakes recipe turned into a lemon orange cheesecake one :)
They are really perfect for curbing calories and still enjoying some dessert at the end of a meal (well, as long as you eat just one).
RECIPE
SERVING SIZE
I am quite lazy about planning ahead for parties, my husband and I decide the menu on Thursday and we end up shopping for all the ingredients on Fri evening for a Sat party. So, it's a one stop shop and if I dont find one of the ingredients in that store, I just pick up some substitute.
Well, this time I couldn't find the chocolate wafers! I couldn't believe that there were no chocolate wafers in the store! So, I decided to just substitiute it with the only wafers sitting in the snack aisle, lemon wafers. Hence, the chocolate orange cheesecakes recipe turned into a lemon orange cheesecake one :)
They are really perfect for curbing calories and still enjoying some dessert at the end of a meal (well, as long as you eat just one).
RECIPE
SERVING SIZE
12 individual bite sized cheesecakes
INGREDIENTS
Wafers - Lemon Wafers (1/3 cup) (or can try chocolate too)
Butter - 2 tbsps
Ricotta cheese - 1/4 cup
Cream Cheese - 2 oz
Sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsps
Orange - 1 zested (keep the fruit, you can use slices of them too)
Sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsps
Orange - 1 zested (keep the fruit, you can use slices of them too)
Egg - 1
Cooking Spray/Butter - for greasing
Cooking Spray/Butter - for greasing
Equipments -
Mini Muffin Pan
Food Processor/Blender
Baking dish that can hold the Muffin Pan
Food Processor/Blender
Baking dish that can hold the Muffin Pan
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease the mini muffin pan.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease the mini muffin pan.
3. The wafers I bought had lemon cream in between 2 layers of wafers. I am not sure what kind of wafers the original recipe asks for. I separated the wafers from the cream (reminded me of my childhood...) and put them in a blender. I thought they might be too lemony, so I added 2 crackers as well (used Marie Digestive Biscuit from Indian store, I guess you could use Graham crackers).
4. Melt the butter and add to this mixture and mix well.
5. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and put it in the mini muffin pan. Use something like the bottom of a shot glass and press down on the mixture to pack it tightly.
6. Place this in the oven for 4 minutes. I think this makes sure your crust is done well and won't break when you pop these eventually.
7. Now prepare the cheese mixture. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender, worked fine for me. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg.
8. Blend until smooth.
9. Pour the mixture over the lightly baked crust. Don't fill it till the top.
10. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. I read reviews for this recipe and most people said this was an important thing. Since I didn't have a baking dish large enough to hold the muffin pan, I used one of the large aluminum foil dish that I had got for a party long back.
11. Bake for 30 minutes (5 mins more than original recipe).
12. Let them cool for about 30 mins and then refrigerate for 15 minutes.
13. Take them out and using a knife, gently pop the cheesecakes out of the muffin pan cups.
14. Now, its really your choice whether you want to put the garnish just before you serve or add it and put it back into the fridge. If you do the latter, the sugar garnish melts slightly and I kinda liked that better. Anyway here are the garnish details.
Garnish - combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar (granulated). Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture. Slice very thin slices of orange fruit and place them on top of each cheesecake over the sugar mixture. If you want more colors, stick a sprig of mint on top as well!
4. Melt the butter and add to this mixture and mix well.
5. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and put it in the mini muffin pan. Use something like the bottom of a shot glass and press down on the mixture to pack it tightly.
6. Place this in the oven for 4 minutes. I think this makes sure your crust is done well and won't break when you pop these eventually.
7. Now prepare the cheese mixture. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender, worked fine for me. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg.
8. Blend until smooth.
9. Pour the mixture over the lightly baked crust. Don't fill it till the top.
10. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. I read reviews for this recipe and most people said this was an important thing. Since I didn't have a baking dish large enough to hold the muffin pan, I used one of the large aluminum foil dish that I had got for a party long back.
11. Bake for 30 minutes (5 mins more than original recipe).
12. Let them cool for about 30 mins and then refrigerate for 15 minutes.
13. Take them out and using a knife, gently pop the cheesecakes out of the muffin pan cups.
14. Now, its really your choice whether you want to put the garnish just before you serve or add it and put it back into the fridge. If you do the latter, the sugar garnish melts slightly and I kinda liked that better. Anyway here are the garnish details.
Garnish - combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar (granulated). Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture. Slice very thin slices of orange fruit and place them on top of each cheesecake over the sugar mixture. If you want more colors, stick a sprig of mint on top as well!
15. Enjoy the mini delight!
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