Mini Manderine Orange Cheescakes

By: Melissa Baker

Recipe and Image Courtesy of www.TableSpoon.com

Ingredients:

1 

cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ cereal (about 2 cups whole)

3 

tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

12 

ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 

cup sugar

1 

large egg + 1 large egg yolk

1/2 

teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 

teaspoons finely grated orange zest (about 1 medium naval orange)

1 

can mandarin oranges in syrup, drained

Whipped cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ crumbs in a bowl with the melted butter. Line a regular-sized muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Press a little less than 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth with no lumps remaining. Add the sugar and continue to beat beat until combined and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange zest and beat on low just until combined - do not over-beat.
4. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture into each cupcake tin. Bake the cupcakes for 12 minutes then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecakes in for another 10 minutes before removing them. Do not open the oven at any point before that.
5. Let the cheesecakes cool completely. Add some whipped cream to the top of each cheesecake and place a mandarin orange on top. Serve immediately.