Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups Vanilla Wafers, finely crushed
  • 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
  • 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 16 ounces Full-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup Sour Cream or Full-Fat Greek Yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ½ teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • 1 standard 21-ounce can Cherry Pie Filling

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
  2. Combine crushed wafers and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix until uniformly moistened, resembling wet sand.
  3. Press approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of each liner. Bake crusts for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
  4. In a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and ½ cup of sugar on low speed until perfectly smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
  5. Beat in the sour cream/yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until just combined.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing only until just incorporated after each addition. Do not overmix to prevent cracking.
  7. Divide the filling evenly over the pre-baked crusts.
  8. Bake for 18–22 minutes until the edges are set but the center still has a slight wobble.
  9. Turn off the oven. Prop the oven door open slightly (using a wooden spoon) and leave the cheesecakes inside to cool slowly for 1 hour to prevent cracking.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature.
  11. Cover loosely and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) to fully set.
  12. Before serving, spoon a generous dollop of cold cherry pie filling onto the top of each set Mini Cherry Cheesecake.