this old thang?? kristin's strawberry cheesequake mini masterpieces

kristin made these little guys, a strawberry version of the mini cheesequakes, for her coworker's b-day.  by the looks of them, they could be straight out of a cooking mag, because they are just so pretty.  Pretty tasting as well, I'm sure.  Photography courtesy of Elof Meat-Cheese-Meat-Cheese Peitso.

Mini Cheesequakes Will Rock Your World

My mom used to make these and I remember them being easy enough to help her with and perfectly portable for lunches and picnics. It's been about 15 years since I last had them, and they are as tasty and simple as I remember. Also, I like having a reason to buy Nilla Wafers.

We used to just eat these plain without any topping. My mom mentioned that for added flair, if they're being served at a party, you can brush them with apricot preserves and top with a kiwi slice. I made these for Kristen G's b-day, and it seemed like a good time to introduce some flair. You could also top with any seasonal fruit of your liking: cherries, strawberries, peaches, etc. Some people also top them with canned pie filling.

MINIATURE CHEESECAKES (I call them cheesequakes)

Ingredients

1 12 oz. box of Nilla Wafers

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese

3/4 c. of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

Apricot Preserves, heated for brushing tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin tins with muffin cup(metal and paper muffin liners work best because they are sturdier). Put a Nilla wafer in each cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Fill each muffin tin almost to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Brush tops with warm preserves and top with a kiwi slice.

Makes about 18 mini cheesequakes.