Easy & Sexy Cheesecake Bites for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is only ten days away and I have my menu planned out. I’m doing a seven-course meal for my wonderful hubby that I’m hoping will rock his world.

Cheese plate with 3 cheeses, 2 breads and jam
Caprese Salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh Buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar drizzled over and smoked Parmesan shavings
Lobster Bisque
Serrano ham wrapped jumbo shrimp with blackening season
Crab cakes
Filet mignon with roasted Brussel sprouts and potato gratin
Molten chocolate cakes with raspberries and whipped cream

I’m so excited and ready to get started shopping for the ingredients. Fortunately these things are relatively simple to make up so while it looks like a lot, it’s really not that bad.

Valentine’s Day is such a fun day. I know so many people view it as a day made up by the floral, card and candy industries but who cares?! Some people need a little nudge to inject the romance into a relationship so stop whining and enjoy that at least one day a year you get it. I must remind the ladies to remember this day is more than just about you, it’s supposed to be a celebration about you both as a couple, so dig out that special lingerie and plan something fun for you both (I see so many women leaving everything up to the guy to take care off on Valentine’s Day).

OK, my rant is over and I thought I would start sharing some recipes and ideas for your Valentine’s Day planning if you were planning on making a special dinner or treat for that someone special in your life.

I got the idea for Cheesecake Bites from Pinterest (yes, I love the site and using it. There really are some neat ideas on there). A Helicopter Mom posted here recipe for these wonderful little bites and the pictures just finished selling me. Now as usual I made a few changes because while I loved her idea, it was loaded with sugar. So much more than the recipe actually needs.

These little Cheesecakes bites are sexy, yummy and fun. Use your imagination with them for fun and make sure you make them up a day ahead of time so they have plenty of time to set. I found the flavors meld and come out more with the extra time as well.

Valentine’s dessert needs to have chocolate with it, chocolate is an aphrodisiac after all, so make sure you use chocolate graham crackers or cookies for the base. You might also want to consider chocolate curls or shavings for the top of the Cheesecake bites for even more pretties.

You can check out the link above for the original recipe but I’m including my adjusted one here. You will need a mini-cupcake tin for these or if you don’t have one, you could layer the ingredients into a baking dish and cut into bite size pieces, just make sure you grease it first or your cheesecake will stick. I also forgot to take pictures of me making these, so you only get after pictures.

We just loved this bites and I’m sure you will too. They are lemony, sweet and just heavenly on the taste buds and have the added advantage of being fast and easy to make (I used two toppings on these: one a good cherry pie filling and the other was a cherry pomegranate habrano glaze).

Cheesecake Bites

Cheesecake Crust

1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (plain, chocolate or a cookie of your choice)

4 Tbsp. butter (don’t skip, this is what holds the crust together

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling

1 pkg. (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese, softened to room temp.

1/4 cup sugar (use more if you like sweeter but check first because this was enough to balance the flavors)

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

lemon zest from one half of lemon

1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 can cherry pie filling (look for a good one without corn syrup and additives or make your own)

Place the graham crackers or cookies in a food-processor and process until fine crumbs (put in a plastic bag and use a rolling-pin if you don’t have a food-processor). Add the cinnamon and butter and mix well. Mix should be sticking together when pressed hard.

Preheat over to 350°.

Line your mini-cupcake tins with mini-paper liners and press the cookie mix firmly into the bottom. Set aside while you make the filling

Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon juice and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. There should be no lumps in your filling.

Spoon the mix into the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Don’t overfill because they will come out of the cups, making it hard to release them when done.

Cook in oven for 12 to 15 minutes (I use 12 minutes because I don’t like to overcook cheesecake. They’ll be slight firm to the touch on top when done).

Remove the cheesecake bites from the cupcake tin and place in the fridge to cool completely. After cooling, top each one with about a teaspoon of cherry pie filling and add any garnishes you may want such as the chocolate curls or mint leaves.

Serve up and watch the smiles happen.

Makes 24 mini-cheesecake bites.

More Valentine’s Recipe Ideas: