I'm not sure why, but when a Holiday is around the corner, I feel the sudden urge to make Holiday themed treats!
I found this adorable recipe on Pinterest last year. Unfortunately, on Valentine's Day I was on a business trip with my mister in South Carolina. Ever since, I've been dying to make them! So this year, we did it!
Did I mention, I'm a huge cheesecake fanatic? Not even kidding...
So let's get started!
+Ingredients
+1 cup graham cracker crumbs (15 squares)
+pinch of cinnamon
+1/2 stick butter (melted)
+16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened
+1 cup sugar
+3 large eggs
+2 cups sour cream
+1 teaspoon vanilla extract
+food coloring - colors of your choosing
+Supplies You'll Need
+Mixing Bowl
+Hand Held Mixer/Guns of Steel
+Spatula
+Flat Rack (optional)
+Heart Shaped Silicone Mold (1 or 2)
+Fine Tip Paint Brush (food only brush or new)
+Roasting Pan (to fit your heart shaped molds in)
+Instructions (Recipe Makes 12 Hearts)
+I have sectioned off each "task" into different sections below to make the recipe easy to understand: Crust, Filling, Lettering
+Fill roasting pan halfway with water (enough to go half way up the sides of the mold) & place in oven
+Preheat oven to 325 degrees
+Crust
+Crush graham crackers in ziploc bags (You can use a food processor if you have one)
+Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter
+With (1) tablespoon of crumb mixture, press down into each heart cavity of the mold creating an even crust
+Refrigerate until cheesecake mixture is ready
+Cheesecake Mixture
+Using hand held mixer (or guns of steel), beat the cream cheese until smooth
+Add sugar to mixture and beat well
+Add eggs and beat until creamy
+Add sour cream and vanilla, mix until all the ingredients are combined well
+Equally divide the filling into 6 bowls
+Add food coloring to create the colors you desire (5-8 drops of each color)
+Place heart shaped mold on top of flat rack (skip if you don't have one)
+Once the desired colors are reached, pour the filling into the heart shaped mold (to the top)
+Place heart shaped mold and flat rack into roasting pan
(or gently place the mold in the water if you do not have a rack, I didn't use one)
+Bake for 25-28 minutes (when finished, the center should still jiggle but look set, not soupy)
+Let cool at room temperature for 30-60 minutes
+Freeze them overnight (do not remove from molds. I let my first batch freeze for only two hours, it ended up destroying the crust when I tried to remove them from the molds. The second batch I left in the freezer overnight and they came out with no problems!)
+Allow a few hours before serving after you remove them from the freezer
+Lettering (optional)
+After hearts have been put in the freezer overnight, drop a few drops of red food coloring into a small bowl
+Use a fine tip paintbrush to paint conversation heart sayings onto each cheesecake heart
+Note: I do not have a steady hand, I preferred how they looked without my sloppy writing, so I kept the majority of my batch without lettering.
+Food coloring will dry if you refrigerate your cheesecakes
+Reminder: Thaw cheesecakes before serving
So, if you plan on having a Valentine's Party or a romantic night at home this year, make sure to try these adorable cheesecake hearts! I'm sure you could adapt this recipe to anything; pumpkins, christmas trees, shamrocks, etc. The possibilities are endless!
[Happy Valentine's Day Lovebirds!]
