ramekin cheesecake

Individual Cheesecakes
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 2

1/2 cup ground vanilla wafers (or ground shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, or graham crackers)
1.5 T unsalted butter, melted, plus additional butter for greasing the ramekins

1 8-oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
optional: 1 T lemon curd, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, or any number of other topping options (fresh fruit, berry sauce, extra cookie crust for the top)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 10 oz ramekins or custard cups (if you only have smaller, 6 oz ones, you can make 3 or 4 smaller cheesecakes in place of two 10 oz ones). In a small bowl, toss the vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter, then press half of the mixture into the bottom of each ramekin. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat again until fully incorporated. Divide the filling between the two ramekins. If you are making the lemon-swirl or chocolate chip variation, see instructions at the bottom.

Place the ramekins in a deep roasting pan or baking dish (I used a pyrex baking dish), and add hot water to the dish to reach about half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cheesecakes are set and puffy around the edges and just setting in the center (if they start to brown, they’ll be a bit overcooked and the tops may crack as they cool- but they’ll still taste good). Remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (at least an hour) or up to a day before serving.

To serve: enjoy them as is, or you can dust the tops with chocolate shavings, dutch-process cocoa powder, or sprinkles. You can also top them with fresh fruit (macerated in a bit of sugar until the juices run) or cook up a fruit sauce. Or, try one of the variations below.

Lemon-swirl variation: once you’ve incorporated the egg into the cheesecake batter and divided it into the ramekins, add a teaspoon or two of lemon curd (store-bought, ideally freshened up with a bit of lemon zest and juice, or homemade if you have it) to each ramekin and swirl it gently into the cheesecake filling with a toothpick or knife. Bake as directed above.

Chocolate chip variation: after incorporating the egg into the cheesecake filling, stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter into the ramekins and bake as directed above.

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ramekin cheese