Recipe: Pineapple Mini Cheesecakes

This past weekend, I made a delicious summer recipe - pineapple mini cheesecakes! Topped with homemade whipped cream, these little treats are perfect for the summer because they're fresh, cold and light. I found the recipe on Reynolds Kitchens' website - in addition to making their famous tin foil, they make lots of other baking products and have a huge recipe catalog online! The recipe looks difficult because there appear to be a lot of steps, but it's deceptively quick and simple. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Pineapple mini cheesecakes

recipe from Reynolds Kitchens

makes about 18 mini cheesecakes

for the crust...

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F and line two muffin tins with 18 paper liners.
2. In your food processor, pulse the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar together until they are nice and crumbly.
3. Spoon and press a tablespoonful of crumbs into each baking cup and set pans aside.

for the cheesecake...

• 2 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and light.
2. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and continue beating for about 2 minutes until well blended with no lumps.
3. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, fill each crust-filled liner with cheesecake mix (about 2/3 of the way full.)
4. Bake for about 25 minutes until set. Cool on wire racks.

for the pineapple topping...

• 1 large can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1. While the cupcakes are baking, heat the drained pineapple, brown sugar and butter in a medium sauce pan over high heat, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until it boils.
2. Once it boils, reduce head to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. When the cupcakes have cooled, spoon a heaping tablespoon of pineapple filling on top of each mini cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

for the whipped cream...

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form.
2. Fill up a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a dollop on top of each cooled mini cheesecake.
3. Devour!
4. Keep mini cheesecakes refrigerated in airtight containers until time to eat, for up to 48 hours.