Earl Grey and Lavender Infused Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

24 mini vanilla-flavored wafers
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1½ tablespoons Earl Grey–lavender black tea leaves*
1 teaspoon dried lavender
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Garnish: fresh lavender

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line a 12-well mini cheesecake pan with paper liners. Place a
wafer in the bottom of each cup. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium-high
heat. Remove from heat. Add tea leaves and lavender to saucepan.
Cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, discarding tea and
lavender. Cool cream for 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at high speed
with an electric mixer until smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
Add eggs, mixing until combined. Add cream mixture to
cream-cheese mixture, mixing until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared wells of cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom
of cheesecake pan with aluminum foil to keep out water. Place
cheesecake pan in a roasting pan. Carefully add enough water to
roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake pan.
• Bake until set, approximately 25 minutes. Remove cheesecake
pan from roasting pan. Cool in pan for 1 hour. Refrigerate for
2 hours.
• To remove cheesecakes, place a cutting board over pan, and
invert pan and board in one motion.
• Garnish cheesecakes with fresh lavender, if desired.