Quick, tasty, and gluten free. I played with the crust with and without butter, and I prefer the more crumbly texture without butter. The problem lies with the type of cookie I used, a soft cookie. I couldn't find a gluten free hard cookie on the shelves though, so these'll have to do. The cheesecake is best served chilled, otherwise I found a slight eggy aftertaste when I took a bite out of one straight out of the oven. Next time I may look for a fluffier, NY-style cheesecake.
Mini Cheesecakes with Gingerbread Cookie Crust adapted from Allrecipes
Yield: 18 cupcake-sized cheesecakes
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
2 6-oz packages Enjoy Life Soft Baked Gingerbread Spice Cookies (gluten free)
4 tbsp sugar
For the filling:
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
Crush the cookies, then mix in sugar. Evenly distribute the cookie mixture into 9 muffin liners. Pat down with a spoon and bake in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
While the crusts are cooling, combine the filling ingredients with a hand mixer, Be careful not to over beat the mixture, but make sure that the filling is not lumpy. Evenly pipe filling on top of each crustg. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. The centers might still be a little jiggly, but they will continue to cook on residual heat.
Completely cool cheesecakes on wire racks. Garnish with sliced fruit or toppings of your choice. Serve chilled.