Vanilla bean cheesecake cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 lbs cream cheese
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 large eggs

You may like

Vanilla pecan and caramel tart

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 325? F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar.
• Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake until just set, 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
• To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth.
• Scrape out the inside of one vanilla bean, then add it to the cream cheese along with the extract and salt. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• To assemble, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner.
• Bake until the filling is set, rotating the pans halfway through baking, about 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.