Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes

How adorable are these? I love anything mini and these little cheesecakes are just the perfect mini dessert! A sweet and buttery graham cracker crust gets topped with a tangy, smooth and creamy cheesecake that gets swirled with a fresh and vibrant ruby red raspberry swirl. Aren't they so pretty?

First, you have the graham cracker crust, then the cheesecake, next comes the little dollops of raspberry puree and finally the cheesecake batter and raspberry puree get marbleized together!

Here is a close-up before being baked!

The outcome: simply tasty and beautiful, cute and perfect, little hand-held/bite-sized desserts that are great for any occasion! Everyone gets his or her own, no sharing is necessary (which I love when it comes to dessert)! I also love how the marbleing effect makes each mini cheesecake slightly different from one another. They all have a little swirl of their own!

Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes: (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

Makes 32

-1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12 sheets; use a mini chopper or food processor)

-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-1 1/2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar

-1 container (6 ounces) fresh raspberries

-2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

-pinch of salt

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-4 large eggs, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Stir together ground graham crackers, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press 1 tablespoon crust mixture firmly into bottom of each lined cup. Bake until set, about 5 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool.

2. Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing with a flexible spatula to remove as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tablespoons sugar.

3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With mixer on low speed, add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a steady stream. Add salt and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each.

4. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup. Dollop 1/2 teaspoon raspberry puree in a few dots over each. With a wooden toothpick, swirl sauce into filling. Place each tin in a roasting pan (bake in batches if necessary); pour enough hot water into pan to come three-quarters of the way up sides of cups.

5. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Carefully remove tins from water bath and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or out of tins up to 5 days in airtight containers). Remove from tins just before serving.