Frozen Mini Cheesecakes

I usually make Carrot Cake every Easter, but with it being my absolute favorite cake I knew there was no way I could resist it. So, instead, I made frozen mini cheesecakes for my family's Easter dessert. I'm told that they were melt-in-your-mouth good. Definitely a recipe that has made it on my repeat list. By the way, I've lost twenty-five pounds so far on the diet. It's been rough at times, but it's definitely worth it just to be able to fit into clothes that I haven't worn in a couple of years.

Anyways, here's the recipe for the mini cheesecakes. I originally wanted to top them with raspberry sauce, but our small town grocery store only had strawberries. They still turned out well, though.

Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c very finely chopped pecans
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Filling:
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
3/4 of a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 c fresh whipped cream (plus a little extra to top the cheesecakes with)

Sauce:
1 lb fresh strawberries (reserve a few strawberries for garnish), sliced
Granulated sugar*
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
* Use as much or as little sugar as you want depending on the sweetness of the berries. I used about 3 or 4 tablespoons. 

Making the Crust:
1) Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners (this recipe made 16 mini cheesecakes in all). In a medium sized bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, very finely chopped pecans (I used a mini blender to chop them), and granulated sugar. Then stir in the melted butter.

2) Place about two spoonfuls of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Using your fingers or the bottom of a drinking glass, press the crumbs into the bottom and sides to form a crust.

Making the Filling:
1) In a large bowl mix together the softened cream cheese, about 3/4 of the can of sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and the powdered sugar. Then, fold in one cup of the fresh whipped cream.

Folding in the whipped cream.

2) Fill each of the cupcake liners with the filling.

3) Place in the freezer for at least five hours. The ones I made were left in the freezer overnight.

Making the Sauce:
1) I used a mini blender to puree almost all of the strawberries. Reserve a few strawberries to use as a garnish for the cheesecakes.

2) In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the strawberry puree, granulated sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Then, remove it from the heat and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Assembling the Cheesecakes:
1) Carefully peel the cupcake liner from each cheesecake. Then drizzle a little strawberry sauce on top of each cake, place a dollop of whipped cream on top of that, and garnish with a halved strawberry.