The end of September marked Marina Makes turning two – I can’t believe it!! When I started this blog, I certainly didn’t think I’d be keeping up with it two years later or have people following along on my journey.
I still have a ton of work to do, but I’m also trying really hard to focus on my family in this season of motherhood and I don’t mind growing slowly. It’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed with everything I’m juggling, but this slower pace allows me to do what I love and stay home with the kids and I am SO grateful for that.
I know I sound like a broken record, I’m hoping to hone down on content and become more organized and productive with my time. While I’ve missed being able to post frequently, I’ve enjoyed this season of life spending time with my family, planning parties to celebrate loved ones and cuddling on the couch with my husband instead of letting work completely overwhelm me.
Motherhood is a constant balancing act and taking things slow throughout my son’s first year of life has been so rewarding and refreshing. It’s something I really wasn’t able to do with Peyton. And while staying at home with the kids a majority of the time can be tiresome and extremely busy, it’s the only place I’d want to be at this stage in my life and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to do so.
It’s hard to think just last year Emory was a newborn and my family and I celebrated the blog’s first birthday with this goat cheese and blackberry cheesecake (still one of my favorite deserts ever!!). To keep the tradition alive, I made some salted caramel mini cheesecakes to get the party started. Although instead of being that prompt friend that shows up on time looking fabulous, I’m the super late friend (about three or four weeks to be exact) who barges in with a messy bun and sweat pants (which is my daily attire, so it works).
So, here’s me bringing you a sweet recipe to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for always following along, always being so kind and encouraging and always warming my heart when you make my recipes.
Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 13-14 cupcake liners
- 8 sheets of honey graham crackers
- 3/4 cup of chopped pecans, divided
- 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 1 cup of caramel dip
- Sea salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Using a food processor or blender, finely crush the graham crackers and 1/2 cup of pecans. Combine the finely crushed graham crackers and pecans with the melted butter in a bowl until the texture resembles damp sand. Pour a heaping tablespoon into each cupcake liner and press the mixture down with fingers to spread across the entire bottom of each liner. Place in the oven for five minutes.
In a small bowl, stir sugar and flour together. In a separate bowl or a standing mixer, add the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Pour the sugar/flour mixture in and mix on medium to high speed with the whisk attachment. Next, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and milk. Continue mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is properly mixed. Divide the mixture among the cupcake liners and place them in the oven for 18-22 minutes. Do not over bake (if they begin to crack, they are becoming over baked). This is really important to remember!
Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow them to cool for two to three hours in the fridge. Once they are completely cooled, top each with a teaspoon of caramel dip, chopped pecans and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Marina Makes 
omg these look delicious!!
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