Avocado Cheesecake Bites

a sweet that's good for your heart, sweetheart

Oh yes, I think you might have heard it's Valentine's Day Friday, February 14th. Usually Steven and I don't celebrate "Hallmark Holidays", however, this one actually bears some personal significance to us...we got engaged February 12, 2011. So, we use Valentine's Day to celebrate our engagement! Actually, the funny thing is, is that Steven didn't even think about the fact that V-day was only 2 days after we got engaged. He might have waited a little longer if that was the case...that's how much he loathes Hallmark Holidays.

But I digress. For this post I've put avocados into cheesecake (Google it, this is common). These mini cheesecake bites are not only good, they are also good for your heart. Avocados have been proven, through various studies, to be heart healthy. And what better occasion than Valentine's Day to be good to your heart, or your sweethearts' heart. Make these to celebrate. Here's how...

Ingredients - Makes 36 Mini Cakes
24 Vanilla Wafers
4 T Unsalted Butter
2 Ripe Avocados
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 C Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 T Flour
Pinch of Salt
Optional: Fruit Topping or Red/Pink Decorating Gel

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the pans with mini muffin liners. Set aside.

Make the crust: Put the vanilla wafers in a resealable plastic bag and then crush using a rolling pin. Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium bowl. Add in the crushed wafers and toss together. The mixture should look like wet sand.

Put about 1 T of the crushed wafer and butter mixture into each of the mini muffin cups. Press into the bottom of each cup with your fingers or a small spoon. Place the pans into the preheated oven and cook for about 8 minutes. The crusts should be golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and allow the crusts to cool slightly as you make the cheesecake filling.

Looks like Gak - remember Gak?

Make the filling: Cut, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh of each avocado. Do your best to remove any brown spots. In a stand mixer (or large bowl) combine the avocados, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, or until fluffy and most of the lumps have been worked out. Add in the eggs, vanilla, flour, and salt and mix until just incorporated.

Fill each mini muffin cup evenly and bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Cool in the pan at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and then move to the refrigerator to chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Finally, remove each mini cheesecake from the pan and top or decorate as desired. You can store these in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. In honor of Valentine's Day, I've decorated mine with hearts. Enjoy!