01 -
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a regular sized muffin pan with paper muffin liners. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until it resembles coarse sand. Put 1-2 tbsp of crumbs in each muffin cup. Use a 1/3 cup (or similar) to press the crumbs down firmly into the pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool while prepping the cheesecake filling.
02 -
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and eggs until just combined. Mix the eggs in only until the yolk breaks, as over-beating is the primary cause of air bubbles and cracking in cheesecakes.
03 -
Evenly divide the cheesecake batter among the muffin cups, filling the liners full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the center of each cheesecake is only slightly jiggly.
04 -
Allow the cheesecakes to cool to room temperature then place them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to chill before serving. If refrigerating overnight, loosely cover the cheesecakes with plastic wrap.
05 -
Top with whipped cream, fresh fruit or chocolate ganache before serving.