Cheesecakes are such a wonderful vehicle for different flavors to come together and shine. Lemon and lavender are a classic duo, and what better way to feature and highlight them than in cheesecake?
Lemon and lavender are so good together! This is probably one of my top three go-to flavor combinations. I was craving cheesecake but felt like a full-sized one may be overkill since I have to bake more stuff soon, so I thought:
“Ooh! Mini cheesecakes!”
-DENIELLE
These mini cheesecakes are creamy, lemony, and fragrant! The lavender flavor is very subtle here as I didn’t want the cheesecake to accidentally taste like soap. And since these cheesecakes are so small, that means you can eat more of it, right?
2 cups ground graham crackers (this is about 16 long crackers)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp lavender buds (either dried or fresh will work)
Cheesecake batter
16 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
zest of a large lemon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 tbsp lavender buds
2 eggs
3 tbsp flour
Instructions
Break down all the lavender buds in either a coffee grinder or with mortar and pestle. It doesn't have to be finely ground, just enough that the buds are not fully whole.
Add 1 tsp of the lavender and the melted butter to the ground graham crackers.
Scoop out about 1.5 tbsp of the graham cracker crust into individually-lined muffin pans. Use the flat bottom of a clean glass or measuring cup to pack down the graham cracker into the tins. Put in the refrigerator while you work on the cream cheese.
Preheat the oven at 325 degrees.
Using a hand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar and mix until there are no more clumps.
Mix in the lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and the remaining 1 tbsp of lavender with the cream cheese mixture.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until homogenous.
Sift in your flour to the cream cheese and mix until it’s fully incorporated.
Take out the muffin pans from the fridge. Scoop out about 3 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture into each tin. Slightly shake the pan to make sure the mixture is flat and even.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Once done in the oven, let them cool on the counter for about 30 minutes.
Put in the fridge and chill for at least 1.5 hours before serving.
