Lime Cheesecake Bites

I couldn't find any lime pie recipes with cream cheese, so I decided to create one. If you like light and fluffy tiny desserts, and dislike graham cracker crumb crusts, you'll love these! I used mini muffin pans, but I think this would be equally as good in a regular cheesecake pan.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 236 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• cooking spray
• 4 large eggs, separated
• ½ (16 ounce) package vanilla wafer crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon butter flavoring
• 3 large limes

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Step 2

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes.

Step 3

Place vanilla wafers in a food processor; blend until crumbly but not powdery. Pour into a bowl; add the melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and butter flavoring. Mix with a fork; let set until crumbs soften, about 2 minutes. Tightly pack pinches of the crumb mixture over the bottoms of the muffin cups.

Step 4

Bake in the preheated oven until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Let crusts cool.

Step 5

Mix cream cheese, condensed milk, and egg yolks together in a bowl using a fork until smooth. Let set, about 1 minute. Juice 2 limes into the mixture. Peel the green rind off the third lime; zest the white rind into the mixture. Juice the lime into the mixture. Mix until smooth.

Step 6

Whip the egg whites in a bowl using clean beaters until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold cream cheese-lime mixture into the whipped egg whites gently with a flat spatula until thoroughly blended. Spoon into the crusts; fill muffin cups to the rim.

Step 7

Bake in the hot oven until edges start to brown, 13 to 14 minutes. Let cool, at least 15 minutes.