Channeling The Golden Girls, Part II

So...this recipe is a variation on a previous recipe I have uploaded to this blog (Channeling the Golden Girls). For this one, I have put the zest and juice of two navel oranges in the batter, and the sauce is a raspberry puree rather than a strawberry one. The zest along with the juice of the citrus gives the cheesecakes a wonderful, bright, citrus-y  flavor. Here is the recipe:

Makes 12 servings
For the crust:
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
1 T granulated white sugar
4-5 T butter, melted (unsalted of course)

For the filling:
2  8 oz. packages  full fat cream cheese, room temperature (This makes it much easier to mix)
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature 
zest and juice of two navel oranges


Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. For the crust, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Press a heaping tablespoon (T) of crumbs onto the bottom  of each muffin cup. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese with either an electric mixer or a hand mixer on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and the salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla, the orange zest and juice, and the sour cream and beat until well incorporated. Now, remove the crusts from the refrigerator  and evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until firm but a little wobbly in the center of each cup. When you remove them from the oven, place on a wire rack to cool. Then cover and refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight. 

Here's the recipe for the sauce. It's truly delicious. Easy to make, too!
1 - 20 ounce bag  of frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/4 - 1/3 cup  granulated white sugar, or to taste
lemon juice to taste (optional)
a little water in case it is hard to blend
Preparation time: 10 minutes
 Place the unsweetened berries in a bowl. Thaw if you buy them frozen. After thawing (if frozen at first), place them in either a food processor or a blender and process until pureed. Pour into a 2 cup measuring cup. This should measure to about 1 1/4 cups of puree. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste it, and add more if you want it sweeter. Now you can add the lemon juice if you so desire. This sauce can either be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for  a week, or it can be frozen.
Enjoy, my loves! Xoxo
-Caitlin