These little Orange Almond Ricotta Cheesecakes were extraordinary. Amazing recipe, and quite unlike anything I’ve had before. I normally loathe cheesecake, much to my husband’s puzzlement (and probably most of America, considering the popularity of dessert at the Cheesecake Factory). Something about cream cheese used in a sweet context throws me off. But ricotta…just wow, it makes for a light and custardy cheese cake. Combined with the amaretto and orange, it is a winning combination.
I haven’t made a crust with graham crackers in a very long time. I usually try to find something suitable to substitute, vanilla wafers or chocolate cookies coming in handy for such purposes. But I saw these Almond Thins at Trader Joes and thought they could not be more perfect. I highly recommend them just to snack on really, they are crisp, buttery and with slices of almonds studded throughout.
I cut my recipe in half, and made them cupcake size. I actually do make a lot of cheesecake, since it is my husband’s favorite dessert. I almost alway cut the recipe in half and make single size portions, as I never plan on eating any. It’s really easy to do, the only essential is to use foil cupcake wrappers instead of paper, and bake for around 20 minutes.
These were perfect, easy to make a delicious.
Next up: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Busy Lizzy Bakes 
Love the cupcake version! Looks great! How long did you bake them?
I love them that size too! I *do* have tartlet pans I’ve never tried before, maybe I’ll make this recipe as tiny tarts next time! 🙂
Oh, good idea to make little minis! How many did you get from your half batch? And I love the idea of the almond thins crust!
Great idea to make mini cakes! And I bet those Almond Thins were just perfect. 🙂 I’m not a fan of Cheesecake Factory either– you’re not alone there. Lucky hubby!
Cute! Great idea to make individual cakes.
What a great idea to make them cupcake size! They are so cute!! I’m not a huge fan of cheesecake either (don’t hate it, but don’t go out of my way for it). But I think I will need to try it with ricotta, as it sounds like it is better.