Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes

By gbvampy1

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 10 whole graham crackers)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 8-ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed), divided

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 24 ( ½-cup) muffin cups with paper liners or coat with cooking spray. Combine graham cracker crumbs and oil in a small bowl. Press about 2 teaspoons in the bottom of each muffin cup. Beat ricotta in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Fold in 1 cup blueberries. Spoon about ¼ cup cheesecake batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle each cheesecake with some of the remaining blueberries. Bake the cheesecakes until almost set in the center, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the tin on a wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Make Ahead Tip: Loosely cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Equipment: 2 muffin tins with 12 ( ½-cup) cups