BY EMMA NAILLE (‘18)

For the perfect non-traditional Easter treat, I recommend this Easter-themed mini cheesecake recipe from Kraft. You can get the list of ingredients and follow the recipe here: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/philadelphia-easter-mini-cheesecakes-174451.aspx

While making these mini cheesecakes, I found that the graham cracker crust mixture needed one more tablespoon of melted butter than was listed in the recipe. This made the graham cracker crumbs properly stick together. Also, to soften the cream cheese quickly, you can cut each block into smaller chunks and then microwave for 15 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure when you are blending all the ingredients to only blend until it is mixed, over mixing will put too much air into it. You also have to fill the cupcake tins almost to the top, which is different from standard cupcakes where you are only supposed to fill it about two thirds of the way.

I baked my cheesecakes for 26 minutes. If you’re not sure for how long to put them in for, it’s best to set your timer for the lower setting (for this recipe either 25 or 26 minutes) and then check to see if they’re done before baking longer to ensure you do not overbake. Usually to

check if a cake is done, you would insert a toothpick in the middle and see if it comes out clean. However, cheesecake is supposed to be quite moist so this method does not apply. Instead, check to see if the cake looks “set,” meaning solid, and shake the pan slightly because the center should still jiggle. When I checked the cheesecakes, I was confused to see that they had risen pretty high and cracked on the top because it did not look like normal cheesecakes look. However, once they were in the refrigerator for a while, they lost some of their height and the cracks went away.

To decorate, I just put the malted milk eggs on top without the coconut because I thought it was unnecessary and because coconut is not universally liked. However, if you do this creates a nice Easter decoration.

The mini cheesecakes were overall pretty easy to make and not very time-consuming. They tasted creamy and not too sweet. I really enjoyed them and so did the people I shared them with. If you need an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert to make this Easter, this is the perfect recipe.