Cheesecakes with Raspberry Hearts

By oakleyj

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 1 1/2 12) cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12)
• 3 3 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 5 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1 1 container (6 ounces) fresh raspberries
• 2 2 8-ounce pounds (four 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• Pinch Pinch salt
• 1 1 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 4 4 large eggs, room temperature

Details

Servings 32
Adapted from marthastewartweddings.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Stir together crackers, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar; press 1 tablespoon into bottom of each cup. Bake until set and beginning to color at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer tins to rack to cool.

Puree raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Press through a fine sieve; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tablespoons sugar.

With mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese until fluffy. On low, add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a slow stream. Mix in salt and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each (do not overmix) and scraping bowl.

Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup. Drop two dots of raspberry puree about 1 inch apart in cupcake. Drag the tip of a toothpick or wooden skewer down through centers of dots to create a heart.

To bake, set tins in oven in roasting pans filled halfway with hot water; bake until set, about 34 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer tins to racks to cool completely. Refrigerate in tins, uncovered, at least 4 hours; remove from tins.