Raspberry Almond Mini Cheesecakes

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 12 cup mini cheesecake pan with cooking spray or line it with paper liners.

In a food processor pulse the graham crackers until they become crumbs. Add the melted butter and applesauce to the crumbs and pulse until they come together.

Scoop about a tablespoon of the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of each of the 12 cups. Use the bottom of a shot glass or the back of a spoon to press the crumbs tightly in the bottom of the cups. Set aside.

For the raspberry sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium high heat add the raspberries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, mash the berries, and then reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until it has thickened and reduced. Remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract off the heat. Strain the raspberries into a bowl so that all the seeds are removed. Set bowl aside.

For the cheesecake filling:

In a medium sized bowl using an electric mixer combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with the paddle attachment. Beat them until they are fluffy. Add in the Greek yogurt, egg whites, and flour, and beat until smooth

For assembling the cheesecakes:

Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust about 3/4 of the way to the top. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon of the raspberry sauce on top of each cheesecake. Use a toothpick to swirl the raspberry sauce into the cheesecake.

Place the pan of cheesecakes on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes or until the center is almost set. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven, set pan on a rack and let them come to room temperature before removing them from the pan and refrigerating them. Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least a couple hours or overnight.

For the almond whipped cream:

In a clean bowl using an electric mixer beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract until peaks form. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top of the mini cheesecakes just before serving.

Notes:
– If you don’t like almond extract you can replace it with vanilla extract.
– If you have extra raspberry sauce use the remainder to drizzle on top of the whipped cream.