Mini Raspberry Black-Bottom Cheesecake

Leslie Christiansen has so many wonderful recipes to share. For the Historical League Open House, she create ones that volunteers could make ahead and bring to the historic home. Her comments, "I wanted appetizers that could be easy to make in advance and then transported to another location.

These were delicious and made a beautiful presentation.

MINI RASPBERRY BLACK-BOTTOM CHEESECAKES

Ingredients:

6 whole chocolate graham crackers

3 T butter, soft

2/3 cup sour cream, at room

temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 eight oz package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 t vanilla

¼ cup raspberry jam or apricot preserves

Vegetable spray

Foil cupcake liners

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a standard muffin pan with foil cupcake liners and lightly spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place the metal blade inside a food processor. Break up the chocolate graham crackers as you put them inside, and pulse until crushed. Add the butter and process to form fine crumbs.
3. Spoon the graham cracker crumbs into the prepared cupcake pan. Press with the back of a spoon or a glass to compact the crumbs. Bake for 5 minutes.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sour cream for about 20 seconds on medium speed.
5. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.
6. Lower the mixer speed, add cream cheese and beat about 2 minutes.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time; waiting to add the second egg until the first egg is fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
8. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl.
9. Pour the batter into the baking cups, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for about 15 minutes, do not overbake. The center will be slightly jiggly.
10. Remove cheesecakes from the oven. Spoon about 1 t jam on top of each cheesecake.
11. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill the cheesecakes until cooled, about 2 hours. Cheesecakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days.
12. Carefully peel off the foil baking cups from the cheesecake before serving.
13. Please bring cheesecakes to the Open House in the paper liners.

Makes 36 mini cheesecakes