By Karen Humphries from Notes from the Cookie Jar

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, but sometimes you only want a little and not a giant piece. These muffin sized cheesecakes are a perfect single serving, and a great canvas for you to customize to suit your tastes. Top with chocolate sauce, lemon curd, berries, or even jam warmed slightly to make it runny. Add a little whipping cream and berries, and you have yourself a pretty spectacular dessert! This recipe came to me from my friend Audrey, my partner in cheesecake crime.

12 vanilla wafers (or use chocolate wafers)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup of your favorite jam

Pre-heat your oven to 325 F and line muffin tins with foil or paper liners.

Place one vanilla wafer in the bottom each muffin cup. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy before adding the sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

Divide filling between muffin cups, filling each ¾ full. At this point, you can play a bit-either leave the cheesecakes the way they are, or you can spoon 1 tsp of your favorite jam on the top of each and using a toothpick, swirl the jam into the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Let the cheesecakes cool completely in the cups before removing from the pan. Chill in an airtight container for a few hours before serving. To serve, gently peel the paper off the cups and set them on a plate. You can become creative with toppings, if you like. Try a spoonful of lemon curd, whipping cream, warming up your favorite jam and spooning over top, or chocolate sauce. I used a cherry jam and chocolate curls.

You can also freeze these, wrapped and without the toppings, for about a month or so. Allow them to thaw in the fridge for about 30 minutes before topping and serving.

Makes 12

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