This weekend was a little cooler so instead of spending extra time outdoors I took advantage of the indoor time to get some baking done for Easter. I made these mini cheesecakes and sugar cookies which I will also plan on sharing sometime this week. I am thinking this was a good call because Easter weekend looks beautiful as of now so I don’t think I will want to spend my time inside baking.

I reserved a few of these cheesecakes to photograph and share with you but the rest of them are in the freezer (without the toppings). I’ve made these many times and they freeze very well. I will transfer them to the fridge on Easter Sunday and the topping can be added just before serving. I used a standard size muffin tin with parchment liners to bake them. The carrots (still available to be shipped before Easter, hurry!) and little bunny plates were both from the Target dollar spot section 🙂

I just followed the recipe on the box of the Philadelphia cream cheese I was using because it was simple and I had everything it called for. I did modify a little bit and will share exactly what I did below. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter

filling:
3 packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325*. I ended up getting about 22 mini cheesecakes.
2. Make the crust by melting the butter in a microwave safe dish. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix until combined. Line a muffin pan with baking cups and add a spoonful of the crust to each. I would guess I add about a tablespoon of the mixture to each one. I then use a mini spatula to press it down firm into the cup.
3. Add the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to your stand mixer and using the whisk attachment beat very well, until smooth and no lumps appear. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until combined.
4. Scoop the filling into the baking cups on top of the crust mixture. I filled them about 3/4 full or a little more, you could add more but you might end up with a few less in the end.
5. Bake for 15-17 minutes. The centers should still be a little giggly when you remove them from the oven. I have a gas oven and used the convection setting and 15 minutes was perfect.
6. Let them cool at room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator to set, allow a few hours for best results. Store in an airtight container. You could also store them in the freezer if you don’t need them right away or within the next few days.
7. Top with whatever you like! In this case I made a whipped topping (you could totally go with store bought too) and some Cadbury chocolate eggs, an Easter staple in my opinion 😉
8. Enjoy!