Usually when I'm invited to a party, everyone signs up to bring something savory or drinks; dessert ends up being an afterthought. Good thing I have dessert covered (maybe that's why I get invited?).

Since we're talking about party food, dessert needs to be something that's small and easily portable. I know several people who serve margaritas for parties, so I got the idea to turn that into dessert with these mini margarita cheesecakes. Smaller than a regular slice, these mini cheesecakes can easily fit onto your towering plate of food as you make your way back to the couch.

Margaritas have three specific ingredients that make it a margarita - tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Of course, you can vary it up by adding other fruit and making mango coconut margaritas or even using lemons instead of limes. However, for these mini margarita cheesecakes, I stuck with traditional flavors. Because I added a good bit of extra liquid to the batter to mimic the flavors of a margarita, I added some all-purpose flour to balance it out.

Unlike a regular cheesecake, you don't need any special tools or pans to make these. Sure, some manufacturers make dedicated mini cheesecake pans, but really all you need is a regular muffin pan and 12 cupcake liners. As you can see by the photos, I peeled my liners before serving, but for easy transport, you can leave the liners on.

Mini Margarita Cheesecakes Recipe

For the Cheesecakes:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• zest and juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 2 tablespoons triple sec
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Whipped Cream:

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• lime zest and slices, for garnish

Directions

For the Cheesecakes:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until moistened and clumpy. Press down into the bottom of each paper liner and bake 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg then beat in the vanilla, lime zest, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and flour.
4. Spoon the batter into each liner and bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool completely at room temperature then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, zest, and slices before serving.

For the Whipped Cream:

1. In a large mixing bowl (preferably a stand mixer with the whisk attachment), beat the cream on high speed until it thickens and soft peaks form (when you pull the beaters straight up, peaks will form but fall over).
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla then continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (peaks will form but not fall over).

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home