~Amanda~
I absolutely love spring! It is probably my favorite season because everybody is so happy about the warmer weather, flip flops can finally be worn again, everything is starting to come to life, and of course we’re getting ready for fresh and delicious summer foods and flavors. This past weekend I was asked to bring a dessert for our Easter dinner at Conor’s house and I knew I wanted to make something with bright spring flavors, specifically something with citrus. After looking through numerous recipes, I decided on Key Lime Cheesecakes. They just sounded SO good…I love the combination of the fresh and bright lime flavor paired with the richness of cheesecake. It was the perfect Easter dessert.
Dessert is my absolute favorite part of any meal, so whenever I’m in charge of making it it has to be gluten free so that I can enjoy it too. This original recipe called for a graham cracker crust, but after I had no luck finding gluten-free graham crackers at the store this week (I guess everyone was making gluten free graham cracker crusts!), I decided to do something different; a ginger snap cookie crust. I thought the sweet and spicy flavor of the ginger cookies would complement the citrusy limes, and I was right. I loved this pairing and I would highly recommend it over the graham cracker crust! I also decided that instead of making a big cheesecake that we would have to cut up and serve, that I would make individual cheesecakes. This is great for parties and eliminates a lot of the work when it comes time to serve them (and they just look so cute too!).
The preparation of these Key Lime Cheesecakes is simple and you can even make them a day ahead of time, like I did, to save yourself some work on the day of your party/dinner. You begin by making the crust; combine the gingersnap cookies with butter and a hint of sugar in a food processor until they’re crumbly and able to form together for the crust. You then press the mixture into the bottom of muffin tins and bake for 5 minutes. To make the filling; combine the cream cheese and sugar in a mixer, then add the sour cream, vanilla, key lime juice, and finally the eggs and flour (gluten-free). Make sure you use fresh key lime juice, it makes all the difference. Scoop the mixture evenly in all the muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a rack and then cover and store them in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve the cheesecakes, top them with some whipped cream and a lime slice and get ready to enjoy this incredibly delicious spring dessert!
- 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (gluten-free)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup flour (gluten-free baking flour)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup fresh squeezed key lime juice
- whipped cream and lime slices for serving
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with liners (I like to spray them with cooking spray as well).
- Combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar in a food processor until crumbly and able to press into a crust.
- Put about one tablespoon in each muffin cup and press down until packed. Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer) cream together the cream cheese and sugar for a couple minutes until smooth. Add the sour cream, key lime juice, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute after each addition. Stir in the flour until combined.
- Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until set. Cool completely. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve then top with whipped cream and a lime slice.
- Make a day ahead and store in the refrigerator.
The recipes sound wonderful. especially the paella. I think I,ll try them for Ron’s birthday.