Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• Cheesecake
• 28-oz/225 g packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• Meringue:
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp corn tarch

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line 36 mini muffin tins with paper cups.
2. To make crust, combine all ingredients until evenly blended and crumbly and press into bottom of mini muffins cups. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool.
3. To make cheesecake, reduce oven to 325°F (160°C). Beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, then gradually add sugar while beating, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Beat in cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, scraping well after each addition. Spoon or pipe cheesecake filling into cooled mini muffin tins bake for about 18 minutes, until cheesecake still moves a little when pan is shaken gently. Let cheesecakes cool to room temperature. Meringue layer can be made once cheesecake have cooled and cheesecakes can be chilled overnight and then finished
4. For meringue, preheat oven to 375°F. Whip egg whites with lemon juice until foamy. While whipping, gradually pour in sugar and whip on one speed less than highest until whites hold a stiff peak (the meringue stands upright when whisk is lifted). Whisk in cornstarch. Filling a piping bag with a large star or plain tip and pipe on top of each cheesecake. Bake pie for about 6 minutes, just until meringue browns lightly. Allow cheesecakes to chill for at least an hour and up to a day before serving.
5. Stylist Notes
6. the components of this recipe have been tested separately - just need to verify yield here
7. I picture these served still in their paper cups, so we could get pretty ones (silver or gold foil, or another design?)
8. Other Notes
9. beating egg white one speed less than high is key - get fine bubble structure and less likely to overwhipping
10. I use cornstarch in meringue to help prevent "weeping"
11. Like the fact that they look like fancy cupcakes - what a surprise to find they're cheesecakes
12. Like to use the paper cups - easier then trying to extract the cheesecakes from the muffin tin (a regular cheesecake is challenging enough).