Individual Cheesecakes

Look at these sweet little cakes!  Aren't they perdy?  They taste perdy and are perdy darn easy to make too!  This recipe is one that my mom always made while we were growing up.  In my opinion, it's a perfect amount of cheesecake.  (Okay, so I'll fess up.  Sometimes I eat more than one.)  I topped these little cheesecakes with raspberry because it's in season here, but you could top them with any berry or topping. 

Individual Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
18-24 vanilla wafers
18-24 cupcake liners
Topping (See below for my homemade raspberry topping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix cream cheese and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Line muffin tins with paper liner and drop a vanilla wafer flat side down into muffin paper.  Cover wafer with cream cheese mixture, 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until firm.  (Watch carefully while baking or the wafer could burn.)  Cool.  Top with whatever topping you'd like.

Homemade Raspberry Topping
1 1/2  cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (1.6 oz.) package raspberry flavored gelatin
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Mix jello with cornstarch and gradually add to boiling mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until mixture is clear and thickened slightly. Remove from heat and cool completely.  Spoon a small amount of topping onto the individual cheesecakes.  Then top with 2-3 raspberries.