Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

5 from 1 vote

Valentine's Day eating would not be complete without strawberries. This cheesecake is perfect for sharing with your special person.

Prep Time45

Total Bake Time40

Cool30

Total Time1 55

Course: Cookies, Valentines Day Cookies

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: servings

Calories: 352kcal

I take the whole box of graham crackers and pulse them in a food processor to get them very crumbly. Then, I add the blanched almonds and turn the pulse on for about a minute to ensure they are tiny pieces.
Add this to a bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top, then add the melted butter and mix until the graham cracker mix is moist. Next, line an 8 x 8 baking dish with tin foil. I do one piece of tin foil and mold it up all four sides with two opposite sides hanging out over the edge of the baking dish. These will be used as handles to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Now add the crust mixture and press the crust evenly around the whole bottom.

Preheat the oven to 325°F(165°C or 170°C)
In a food processor, add the freeze-dried strawberries and pulse them until they are powder. Then, I run the powder through a strainer to get any big pieces that remain.
In a stand mixer, add both cream cheese and sugar, blending on medium speed until totally mixed. I stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Breaking one egg into a small dish to ensure no eggshells. Add one egg at a time and mix into the cream cheese before adding the second egg.
Scrape the sides again to ensure the egg and cream cheese are mixed. Next, add the freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla extract, and condensed milk. Now at this point, you have a choice. The freeze-dried strawberries do not keep their pink color very well during the baking. If you want a more pink color, you can add a tiny dot of pink coloring gel. A little goes a long way with coloring gel. Mix until incorporated.
Taking the bowl off the stand, pour the cheesecake mixture onto the crust. I gently shake the pan just so any air bubble that might be trapped has a chance to come to the surface. Bake at 325°F(165°C or 170°C) for 35-40 minutes. Check on it at 35 minutes. It should just be a little golden around the edges. When you shake the baking pan, there should be only a slight jiggle. Pull it out of the oven and let it cool on the counter for at least half an hour. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

Hull and cut up the strawberries, adding them to a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar and stir to coat the strawberry chunks. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat so it is still simmering and not a full boil. This can take anywhere from 6 to 15 minutes for the juice in the mixture to turn more of clear red color and thicken up. You want to cook out the dull color from the cornstarch. I put mine into a mason jar to cool. This is a great topping, not only cheesecake but also ice cream.

Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator. Grabbing the tinfoil hanging over the two sides, gently lift the cheesecake out of the pan and onto a cutting board. I put my whole hand under the bottom and peel the tinfoil from the crust. Even though the crust is dense, try not to bend the cheesecake; it will break.
Cut into squares and put the pieces on a plate. Add the strawberry topping to the top of the cheesecake and serve. You could also have the strawberry topping on the side so family and friends can add their own.