Margarita Mini Cheesecakes!


Just close your eyes and imagine: sitting a the beach, drinking your ice cold margarita. Then open your eyes and realize you live in Wisconsin and it's FOOTBALL SEASON! I must admit, I'm not in the highest of spirits right now as my Green Bay Packers were completely obliterated by lost to the Atlanta Falcons. But on the upside, these little babies were given 4 out of a possible 5 stars by my husband and friends! 

 Just think of this little devil this way: margarita in hand-held cheesecake form. Hold the phone, back it up! Margarita in hand-held cheesecake form?! You betcha! This little cutie even has the tequila and triple sec in it!

 So, what the hell are we waiting for?! Let's chow!

 To start off with, I'll let you know I'm cheap and buy store-brand everything. The only items I picked up from the store were limes, heavy cream, graham crackers, and cream cheese. I also need to say: all pictures and opinions are my own (unless otherwise stated). I am not receiving compensation to use these products.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake: Tequila, Triple-Sec, graham crackers, eggs, cream cheese, lime (zest and juice), vanilla extract, butter, flour, and sugar.

 I guess the only thing I'm a real snob about is my vanilla. I use Penzey's Pure Vanilla Extract (Double Strength). That stuff is amazing. There's an actual vanilla bean in there it's so real. It is a bit pricey, but you only use 1/2 the called for amount, so there's that.

 So, let's get started. We need to make the little graham cracker crumb crust in the bottom of the cupcake liners. I used liners for easy removal and easy transport once they were finished. In retrospect, this was a brilliant idea because the graham cracker crust was falling apart. So, I dumped 7 whole graham crackers plus the butter into a gallon baggie and rolled that around for a while. Then distributed it evenly between the cups and pressed it into place with the bottom of shot glass! Then bake that for 5-10 minutes.

Then, time to make the batter. Of course, I had to break out my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer I received from all the ladies on my mom's side at my bridal shower. It's so pretty.
Ain't she pretty?!


Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. If your cream cheese isn't, try nuking it for 10 seconds per 1/2 block. I also cream only 1/2 a block at a time. When you beat in the eggs, first crack them into a separate bowl and dump them in one at a time. That way (heaven forbid) if you get shells in it, it's easier to get out! Same with everything else, actually. Don't measure over your bowl, always do it separately in case of over pour and such.

Now, you'll need to juice your lime, but before you do that, you need to zest it and get your lime juices flowing. The easiest way to do that is to roll your lime on your counter for a few 30 seconds. 
A good trick for juicing your lime is to do it with your hand under it to catch all the inners.

Add your tequila after taking a shot, triple sec, and flour and mix to combine. Then pour the batter evenly onto your prepared graham cracker crust. Fill it to the top, it won't rise. While they're baking, make sure to do your dishes!



After you pull them out, let cool completely on the counter. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I did overnight. In the morning, or 4 hours later, pull out your stand mixer bowl and whisk and put it in your freezer for at least 30 minutes to make whipping the cream easier. In the meantime, make yourself some coffee.


After chilling your bowl, grab out your ingredients: powdered sugar, vanilla, lime (zest only), and heavy whipping cream. I doubled the recipe. So, I dumped 1/2 cup whipping cream in the bottom of my bowl, cranked it to 6, and let the magic happen until I had soft peaks.

Once you have soft peaks, add your vanilla and powdered sugar. Mixing until hard peaks form. In the meantime, remove your cupcake liners if your displaying them on a platter or move them to your cupcake carrier if you need to transport them (like I did). Once you have hard peaks, go ahead and frost your cupcakes (I used Wilton tip 2D), garnish with lime zest, and a wedge of lime. And do your dishes!





Lastly, enjoy!
For the Cheesecakes:
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • zest and juice from one lime
  • 1/4 cup tequila
  • 2 tablespoons triple sec
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the Whipped Cream:
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • lime zest and slices, for garnish

Directions

For the Cheesecake:
    1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
    2. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until moistened and clumpy. Press down into the bottom of each paper liner and bake 5-10 minutes.
    3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg then beat in the vanilla, lime zest, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and flour.
    4. Spoon the batter into each liner and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    5. Cool completely at room temperature then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, zest, and slices before serving.
    For the Whipped Cream:
    1. In a large mixing bowl (preferably a stand mixer with the whisk attachment), beat the cream on high speed until it thickens and soft peaks form (when you pull the beaters straight up, peaks will form but fall over).
    2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla then continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (peaks will form but not fall over).

    (Recipe adapted from FoodFanatic)

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