Mini Key Lime Cheesecake Bites

Mini key lime cheesecake bite. Can you say decadent and delicious?!

Many states have a wonderful co-op called Bountiful Baskets where you can get fruits and vegetables for super cheap! It is run entirely by volunteers so it is expected that you help out every now and then.  I have been starting to get my fruits/veggies from them about every other week. Here is the website where you can find more info: https://contributions7.bountifulbaskets.org/

Since you don’t know what you will get in your basket, sometimes you’ll get something you have never tried before. Or something you don’t know what to do with. This was my basket a few weeks ago.


You'll notice some butter lettuce, a small watermelon and cantaloupe, grapes, bananas, green onions, potatoes, carrots, corn, nectarines, key limes, and a dichon root.


I had never cooked/baked with key limes before – in fact, I wasn’t even aware of the fact that key limes are smaller than regular limes. Since I didn’t really know what to do with them, I started looking at Pinterest boards to get ideas. I came across a super delicious looking key lime cheesecake recipe that had only 7 ingredients. Seven! Here is the gal’s blog post: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/06/29/key-lime-pies/

I started by running the key limes under warm running water and then rolling them on the counter to get the juices flowing. Then, I cut them in half and gently squeezed each half over a cup to collect the juice. Half a cup is needed for this recipe. There is a surprising amount of juice that comes from one key lime! This recipe took about 5-6 key limes.

Squeeze all that juice out!

Set aside the key lime juice to use later in the filling.

To make the crust, I crushed 10 full graham cracker sheets inside a Ziplock bag with my rolling pin. Then, I added 6 Tablespoons of melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar and gently mixed until combined.

I only own 2 muffin tin pans that make 6 each. This recipe makes around 16 full size muffin tin size cheesecakes. The leftover crust I had was used in my mini tart pan. I sprayed the pans with Pam and then gently scooped a heaping tablespoon in each large muffin cup and a little less than 1 tablespoon in the small tart pan. Gently press down using your fingers to make a crust on the bottom of the tin. Pre-bake these at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

The filling is made by using a mixer to whip up 4 oz of cream cheese, then adding 4 egg yolks and mixing further. Then, add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and ½ cup of key lime juice. Mix on medium for another minute.

After the filling is all blended, use a tablespoon to scoop some of the mixture into each muffin tin. The large ones will take 2 tablespoons of filling, the mini ones will take around 1 tablespoon. The mixture won’t expand/rise so it’s ok to fill them almost completely full.

 



Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes until the middle is almost completely set. I took out the mini tarts after about 12 minutes. I let the big ones go until 15 minutes.






Then, remove from oven and let cool completely on the counter. After cooled, place pans in refrigerator to cool for a few more hours to set. They can be left in the fridge overnight as well. To eat, scoop out of the muffin tins and put a dollop of whipped cream on top. Yummmmm. The taste of summer! J

Mini Key Lime Cheesecake Bites

Crust:

10 full sheets of graham crackers (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 Tablespoons of melted butter
1/3 cup of sugar

Filling:

4 oz. softened cream cheese (full-fat version)
4 large egg yolks
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (full-fat version)
½ cup of key lime juice (I used about 5-6 fresh key limes to get this amount)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. 

Crush graham crackers with a rolling pin. Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar together to form a crumbly crust. Spray muffin tin pans (or use liners). Put one heaping tablespoon of crust mixture into each regular size muffin tin. If using small muffin tin, use 1 heaping teaspoon of crust mixture. Gently press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan. Pre-bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes (I put the mini muffin tin pan on the top and the regular muffin tin pans in the middle).

To get the most juice out of your lime, run warm water over it and roll it back and forth on the table top. Then, cut each lime in half and squeeze the juice into a container. You need ½ cup of lime juice for this recipe. It took 6 key limes. You can use store bought juice though if needed.

On high speed, beat the cream cheese until soft and then add the egg yolks. Beat for another minute. Add sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice and beat at medium for another minute. Now you are ready to fill each crust with the filling mixture! Scoop 2 Tablespoons of the filling into each regular sized muffin tin. For the smaller ones, a heaping tablespoon should do it. Since these don’t rise during baking, you can fill them pretty full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly. I baked the mini ones for 12 minutes and the larger ones for 15.

Let cool at room temperature. After completely cooled, put in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Keep them in the pan while cooling in the fridge to let them set all the way before trying to take them out of the pan.
Enjoy with some whipped topping!
Yield: 16 regular muffin size cheesecake bites or 12 regular and 20 mini cheesecake bites.