MINI CHEESECAKES WITH SPICY MOLASSES COOKIE CRUST

Thank you Paddi for adding your recipes to the blog! You are always a welcomed guest poster <3

 Paddi posted a wonderful Rum Raisin Bread recipe awhile ago  and if you missed it I hope you check it out.

On to Paddi's post.............

I made some Molasses Spice cookies the other day. They were a Martha Stewart recipe and the only thing odd was they had no ginger in them, just nutmeg and cinnamon. They turned out exactly like they were said to. They were good and I thought I would try another recipe that was exactly like this one except for the spices. The new one had ginger cloves nutmeg and cinnamon. Every single other ingredient was the same. Well they were flat and spread out all over the pan and looked like.... use your imagination. LOL They were however quite tasty and they didn't get hard and weird. So .... I have often jokingly thought to myself WWELD or What would Emeril Lagasse do? This has helped in the past with saves...I decided to cut the cookies with my smallest biscuit cutter and they then fit perfectly in the bottom of a standard size muffin tin. I first lined the muffin tins with cupcake liners and then added the cookies. I got out my Juniors Cheesecake cook book and turned to the chapters on Little Fellas. I have made even tinier little cheesecakes but this seemed a good size. The recipe said it would make 13. I put the first muffin tin into a pan filled with a bit of water to steam them and added water to the extra unused muffin tins. I also added some cranberry glaze to each and some strawberry Port Wine sauce to the others and swirled them with two toothpicks. I baked them and then after they cooled I froze them in the muffin tins that were put into a 2 gallon freezer baggy. Because I had 3 extra the first time I had to try on and OMG they are heavenly and a wonderful way to have dessert at a moments notice. Nothing will go to waste this way and I get to have a bite a cheesecake once in a while. I love cheese cake! 

Martha Stewart's Molasses Spice Cookies:

2 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar separated
3/4 cup butter softened 
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

**** (the other recipe calls for 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 tea cloves and 1/2 tea nutmeg and 1 tea cinnamon)

Old Fashion Gingersnaps from my Taste of Home  Best Holiday recipes 2004 It called for a whole teaspoon of cloves but I halved it and added nutmeg.


1. In med bowl whisk flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt and nutmeg and set aside  .Put 1/2  cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside too. 

2. beat butter 1 cup sugar until combined. Beat in egg and molasses then slow down speed and add dry ingredients.

3. Roll into one inch balls and coat with sugar. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased  cookie sheet. Bake one sheet at a time @ 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, use a small round cutter and cut some of the cookies into a round that will fit into the bottom of a regular muffin cup.

Line 13-16 regular size muffin cups with paper liners-the amount of cheesecakes you get depends on the size of your muffin pan. Add water to any unused muffin cups.  


Place a cut out cookie round in the bottom of each lined cup.  Set the pans aside.

Juniors Cheesecake cookbook

Basic Little fella (regular Muffin tin size)

2 8 oz cream cheese packages- softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
2 extra large eggs
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Oven 350

Cream one creamed cheese with 1/3 cup sugar. Add 2nd pkgs and 1/3 more sugar. Then add eggs, vanilla and whipping cream. don't overmix.

Fill each lined muffin tin with batter to the top. Add topping and swirl with two tooth picks. ( I have used choke cherry syrup, strawberry port wine Jelly, cranberry glaze, etc.)


Place muffin tin in a larger pan and fill with a bit of water. Bake 45 minutes.

Place the muffin tin in a larger pan and add a bit of water to come about 1" up the side of the muffin cups.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the cheesecakes are set. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.  Remove from the pans and chill thoroughly.

BASIC LITTLE FELLAS CHEESECAKE FOR FILLING