Free Mini Blueberry and Maple Cheesecakes = happiness

Regular readers will know that I work hard to focus on the little things in life that make my heart sing. It's my way of appreciating the good things happening in life right now rather than thinking I'll be happy when I get a pay rise, or when I'm waif thin or when I'm rich and famous. Waiting to be happy in that way could be the longest wait of all, so I try banish those thoughts and enjoy the journey.

In the past year, a free cookbook has made my heart sing on several occasions and now a volume 2 has now been released. It's possible that I liked it at first because it was free but now that I've tried and tested lots of recipes from the first book, I know it must be the creamy Philly that is slipped into every recipe that gets my tastebuds going and has me thinking happy thoughts. The book is kind of a sneaky sales ploy, but I've let that slide because of the beautiful layout and the reliable recipes. I can always make the recipes using a different brand of cream cheese if I'm feeling defiant :) To get your own copy of Simply Heaven Volume 2, buy any three Philadelphia products in one transaction from Coles while stocks last. Go to the website for details.

I'm yet to make anything from Volume 2, but I've enjoyed a tomato, broad bean and asparagus salad from Volume 1 plus Spanish style chorizo pizza with homemade base, Mediterranean meatballs with couscous, chargrilled lamb with cream cheese polenta (see previous post), mini blueberry and maple cheesecakes and who could forget the white chocolate and hazelnut ball (also shared in a previous post). I'm looking forward to making the Moroccan lamb backstraps with garlic cream and chickpea salad, the sweet potato gnocchi with sage and garlic, the sweet polenta hotcakes and the pizzas to name a few eye-catching concoctions from Volume 2.


It's never any fun being the only happy thing on the block, so today I am sharing another of the tried and true recipes from Simply Heaven Volume 1. I decided to make these mini cheesecakes even smaller by using mini muffin tins and they worked well. The size ended up being a perfect, simple solution when bringing a dessert to share at a large function. I could make them the day before and they went a long way, but best of all, they didn't take up a lot of room on my dessert plate so I could sample lots of other delights. When there are multiple desserts on offer, I like to try a little of everything and I know I'm not alone! Enjoy everything in moderation :)

Mini Blueberry and Maple Cheesecakes

2 cups sweet biscuit crumbs
100g butter, melted

375g Philadelphia block cream cheese, softened
½ cup caster sugar
3 eggs
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup pure maple syrup
150g blueberries, fresh or frozen

Icing sugar, for dusting
Extra blueberries, to serve

1. Combine biscuit crumbs and butter. Press into the base of 12 x 1/3 cup capacity greased and lined muffin pans (I also used mini muffin pans so the mixture went a lot further and more pans were required). Chill.

2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, sour cream and maple syrup and beat until well combined.

3. Pour the mixture into prepared pans and sprinkle over blueberries. Bake in a moderately slow oven 160°C for 35 minutes. Allow to cool in pans before removing. Place onto serving plates, dust with icing sugar and serve with extra blueberries. Serve warm or chilled.

Source: Simply Heaven - 75 irresistible savoury and sweet PHILADELPHIA recipes for all occasions.