I can’t live without dessert, so when I met my husband 5 years ago, it was a priority to discover his favorite treat. I wasn’t surprised to hear that his favorite dessert is cheesecake. After all, he always chose cheesecake-flavored ice cream or topped his frozen yogurt with cheesecake bites.
I decided to surprise him with a cheesecake for one of our first dates. I didn’t own a springform pan at the time, so mini cheesecakes were the next best option. My favorite part about mini cheesecakes: they cool so quickly! Who has the patience to wait for dessert to cool?
Five years later, I’m still making cheesecake at least once a year. We are in the midst of summer and close to the 4th of July, so lemon blueberry mini cheesecakes sounded perfectly festive. Instead of opting for a traditional graham cracker crust, I prefer using Speculoos cookies with coconut oil and coconut sugar. This combination of flavor brings an extra layer of sweetness and spice. I hope you enjoy!
Lemon Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...Ingredients
- Blueberry sauce:
- ½ cup (70g) fresh blueberries
- ½ Tbsp (7g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ tsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 tsp water
- Crust:
- ½ cup (60g) Speculoos cookies (I love the Trader Joe’s brand)
- 1 ½ Tbsp (20g) coconut sugar*
- 1 ¾ Tbsp (27 ml) coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- Cheesecake:
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature**
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
Instructions
Blueberry Sauce:
Heat the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan on medium heat. Mash the blueberries while they cook and soften.
Once the blueberries start to bubble, whisk in the tapioca starch and water. Cook another minute and remove from the stove.
Place a mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the blueberries, reserving the liquid In the bowl and discarding the chunks. Set aside to cool.
Crust:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line 6 cups of a 12-count muffin tin with liners.
Mix Speculoos crumbs, coconut sugar, and melted coconut oil in a small bowl. Press down into each muffin tin, making sure it’s compact.
Bake for 5 minutes and set aside to cool while making the filling.
Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the cream cheese for a minute.
After scraping down the sides of the bowl, add the sugar, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla extract. Beat for another minute until fluffy.
Add the egg and mix until just combined.
Evenly distribute the filling into each lined muffin cup.
Add about ½ tsp of the blueberry sauce into each cheesecake. Use a toothpick to swirl the sauce into the cheesecake filling.
Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour at room temperature before refrigerating for 3 hours.
Serve with berries or whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
* You can use granulated sugar, but coconut sugar complements the Speculoos cookie flavor.
** Make sure the cream cheese and egg are at room temperature. Don’t skip this step! The cheesecake filling will be lumpy if it’s too cold.
No Comments