I.C. Mini Cheesecakes
Behold! The answer to your cheesecake-baking prayers!Much like a traditional water bath in the oven, an immersion circulator keeps the cheesecakes at a constant 160ºF, allowing for even cooking and no Grand Canyon-sized cracks on top. As for the graham cracker topping? That's just for crunch. This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: The Return.
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes minutes
TOTAL TIME: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Yield: 10 servings
I.C. Mini Cheesecake Filling
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
I.C. Mini Cheesecake Topping
- 9 whole graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the i.c. mini cheesecake filling: Install an immersion circulator in a water bath and set it to 160ºF.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after 1 minute.
Lower the mixer speed to medium and add the sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and continue beating until incorporated, about 30 seconds
Drop the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, waiting 30 seconds between each egg. Mix until completely incorporated, about 1 minute more.
Fill ten 4-ounce glass canning jars with lids with the batter, leaving half an inch of headspace. Lid tightly and place in the water bath for 45 minutes.
Retrieve the jars from the water bath and cool for 1 hour at room temperature before refrigerating for at least 2 hours before serving.
For the i.c. mini cheesecake topping: Heat oven to 300ºF.
Pulse the crackers, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor until they become coarse crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a few more times.
Pack the crumb mixture into an even layer on a parchment-lined quarter-sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and then crumble over cheesecakes before serving.