Mini Cheesecakes with Fresh Fruit Topping

I'm finally getting around to posting the yummy treats I made for the Fourth of July. Chris and I went to Mammoth and met his parents and family friends there for the long weekend. We were also celebrating his mom's birthday which was a couple weeks prior. SO...I made gluten-free mini cheesecakes, which were a HUGE hit!

I used a mini cheesecake recipe I found on MarthaStewart.com, and made some revisions to it. First off, I wanted to make them in ramekins; and secondly, I had to make it gluten-free. Instead of a traditional cheesecake crust, I used gluten-free gingersnaps from Trader Joe's. They were PERFECT for the job. Since we were at a high altitude plus using ramekins, I don't remember exactly how long or at what temperature I set it...I just kept my eye on it. Then I just topped them with crushed fresh strawberries (tiny bit of sugar added) and blueberries for a festive look.

See how beautiful they turned out?! I just took this photo on my iphone, but I think they look pretty darn scrumptious! I could have eaten 4 more :)


Here's the recipe from Martha Stewart:

• 3/4 cup crumbled gluten-free ginger snaps
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt
• Fresh fruit for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. (I omitted this part and baked in ramekins.) Mix cookies and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Stir in butter. Press 1 tablespoon of mixture in bottom of each cup. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then vanilla. With mixer running, add eggs slowly, scraping down side of bowl. Add sour cream and salt. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the tops.
3. Bake until sides are set but centers are wobbly, about 20 minutes (maybe longer if using ramekins, which are larger than muffin tins). Let cool in tins on wire racks. Wrap tins tightly with plastic, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
4. Spoon some fresh fruit on top of each cake. I mashed some strawberries with a little sugar, then added a few blueberries on each cake.

Enjoy!