Individual No-Bake Cheesecakes

Directions

• Line muffin tins with liners. Preheat the oven to 350.
• Melt butter in a medium pot, stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar, followed by Graham cracker crumbs. Divide the crust evenly between the muffin tins (I do so by using a small Ice Cream scoop, making sure it’s heaping so that each muffin cup gets about 1 1/2 TBSP of crust). Gently press it into the bottom of each muffin liner with a back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for just 4 minutes. Allow this to cool completely before adding the filling.
• Whip cold heavy cream with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
• In the same mixing bowl (no need to clean it,) beat cream cheese with a paddle attachment. Stop the mixer at least once and be sure to scrape up the sides and the bottom of the bowl, to avoid lumps in the cheesecake. Add sugar and beat for 5-6 minutes until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla. Stop the mixer at least once to scrape down the sides. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese with a whisk to lighten it. Then switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the rest. Divide the filling between the muffin cups. Each should get about 2 TBSP of filling. For a cleaner job, I prefer doing this step by piping the filling into each tin. Smooth out the top with a back of a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until set. You may consider peeling off the liners when the cheesecakes are cooled and firmed up, or serve directly in the liners. Top with your favorite toppings right before serving.