Cheater Cheesecakes

I think these mini cheesecakes are a perfect party food. The recipe is simple, and you can whip them up the day before an event. Feel free to put your own spin on the dessert with different toppings and crusts. For mine, I went with a sliver of fresh strawberry, but mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans and caramel sauce would have made for a tasty turtle cheesecake. And while I'll never turn down a opportunity to use chocolate, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps or shortbread would also work for the crust.

Mini Cheesecakes

Filling
16 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Crust
One Oreo pie crust
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Fill mini muffin pans with cupcake liners. Combine the Oreo crust with melted butter. Press crust in the bottom of each liner, then fill two-thirds of the liner with the cheesecake mixture. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 24 cheesecakes. Allow the cheesecakes to cool before topping with a slice of strawberry or whatever you choose. Refrigerate overnight.