Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

Today’s post is from the bloggers over at CookingShorts, as husband and wife team “designed to bring short recipes and good food to your table.” We love that mission!

Every woman (and man) loves a good cheesecake. However, many of us steer clear of cheesecake with worries of the calorie count behind a huge slice. My solution is portion control … turn the big slice of cake into small bites. This allows you to enjoy the creamy, sweet deliciousness of cheesecake, but without the guilt of eating a full slice. Tinsley made these cuties for a recent girls’ night out and they were a hit. Our waiter even begged us for one.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients:
1 box red velvet cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray. In a large prep bowl add cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low until combined. Please note, this batter will be very dense. Scoop the cake mixture into prepared pan and spread it your fingers; set aside.

In a medium prep bowl add cream cheese and sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat to combine. Spread cream cheese mixture over the red velvet bar.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bars barely start to pull away from sides. Cool completely before cutting. Use a small biscuit cutter to cut out bites. Garnish each bite with a dollop of whipped cream.