Raspberry Heart Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 12 sheets)
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups plus 5 tbsp. sugar
• 1 pint (6 oz.) fresh raspberries
• 2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 32 cups of standard muffin tins with paper liners. For crumb crust, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and 3 tbsp. sugar; press 1 tbsp. mixture into bottom of each cup. Bake until set and beginning to color at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool.

Puree raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tbsp. sugar.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add remaining 1 ½ cups sugar in a slow stream. Mix in salt and vanilla until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each (do not overmix) and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Spoon 3 tbsp. filling over crust in each cup; tap pans on counter to set filling. Drop 2 dots of raspberry puree about 1 inch apart on each. Drag the tip of a toothpick or wooden skewer through centers of each dot to create a heart.

To bake, set tins in roasting pans. Pour hot water to halfway up side of tins. Bake until set, about 34 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate cheesecakes in tins (uncovered) at least 4 hours; remove from tins using an offset spatula. Cakes can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 5 days.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com