Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes

These are golden nuggets of fantastic-ness. Words can not amply describe what I feel about these cheesecakes. I made one large sweet potato cheesecake for Thanksgiving last year and I wanted to try and make little ones for a my Christmas parties this year. Not only are they the cutest things imaginable, they taste so good that you will want to pop 500 of them into your mouth at on time. Or at least I did. But that's OK because sweet potatoes are a vegetable so these are super good for you. The sweet potato flavor balances the sharp cream cheese flavors nicely and the hint of cinnamon gives a warmth that is perfect for cold weather. After a big celebratory meal, it is always good to have something sweet, but I don't want a huge piece after I've already stuffed myself silly on dinner. These bites are great because people can have as much or as little as they want. Also, no slicing. You could make them in normal sized cupcake tins instead of mini muffin tins - just add more time in the oven. Enjoy!
Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups ginger snaps
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 (16 oz.) tub sour cream
1. In food processor combine crushed wafers and butter.
2. Press 1 tsp. of the mixture firmly into very well greased mini muffin tins and chill for 1 hour.
3. Cover each sweet potato with foil and roast in the oven at 350 for an hour, until the inside is very tender.
4. Puree cooked sweet potatoes in the food processor until smooth.
5. Whip cream cheese, sugar, and cinnamon together until fluffy.
6. Beat in eggs just until combined.
7. Stir in pureed sweet potatoes and sour cream.
8. Scoop smooth, cream cheese mixture into the mini muffin cups. They won't really rise or fall so you can just fill the cups to the top. 9. Fill a casserole dish about 2 inches of hot water and put in the oven while it is preheating and leave it in there while the cheesecakes bake. This will make steam in the oven to keep them moist. Bake the cheesecakes in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until cheesecake is just set.
10. Cool in pan on wire rack and allow to cool completely in the fridge (20-30 minutes) until you try to remove them from the muffin pan.
Keep covered in plastic wrap in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. You can top them with Ready Whip if you want. Be careful...they will go F-A-S-T!