Miniature Cheesecake Recipes

EASY MINI CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Make the graham cracker crust: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press about 2-2 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin liner and press to compact.
• Beat room temperature cream cheese with a hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in room temperature sour cream. Beat in egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. (Room temperature ingredients are a must to avoid lumps!)
• Evenly divide (about 2-2 1/2 tablespoons each) cheesecake among crusts. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until they just begin to brown. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Serve plain or topped with whipped cream and berries. See notes for additional serving suggestions.

PHILADELPHIA MINI CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Combine graham crumbs, 2 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottoms of 18 paper-lined muffin cups.
• Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Spoon over crusts.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours.
• Beat whipping cream with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; spread onto cheesecakes. Top with blueberries and zest.

MINIATURE CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil baking liners. Place one vanilla wafer in each cup.
• In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the nutmeg and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely, then top with cherry pie filling. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

MINI CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Line muffin tins with 12 paper baking cups. Place a vanilla wafer in each one.
• In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon juice, and sugar. Beat until smooth and thoroughly combined.
• Fill each baking cup 2/3 full with cream cheese mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on a rack. Top with fruit pie filling. Pipe whipped cream or sweetened cream cheese into a rosette on top of each cheesecake just prior to serving, if desired.

MINI CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until all of the crumbs are moistened. Evenly distribute the mixture between all 12 liners and firmly press it down into one even layer.
• Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Keep oven temperature at 325°F (163°C).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, on low speed until just combined.
• Evenly distribute the batter between all 12 liners in the cupcake pan, filling each one almost all the way to the top.
• Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 17-20 minutes or until the tops of the cheesecakes are set.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 1 hour. Carefully remove from the pan and chill in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

MINI CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the graham crackers to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the crackers. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is finely ground and resembles wet sand, with no large pieces remaining. (Alternatively, you can crush the graham crackers in a resealable bag with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted butter to combine.)
• Line 4 cups in a muffin tin with paper liners. Divide the graham cracker mixture evenly between the cups. Use a small shot glass or the end of a wooden spoon to press the crumbs firmly into an even crust. Set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and beat on medium speed until completely combined, about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the stand and stir the egg in by hand (do not use a mixer for this step).
• Divide the batter among the cups and tap the tin on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes, then let the cheesecakes cool near the oven--no drastic temperature changes. Chill the cheesecakes overnight, covered, in the fridge.
• Before serving, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl fitted over a small saucepan of simmering water. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave on low in 20-second intervals, stirring between each.)
• To make the strawberry hearts, slice 2 to 3 planks off each strawberry and use a 1/2-inch heart-shaped pie crust cutter to cut out hearts from each plank. Reserve the rest of the berry for another use.
• Decorate each cheesecake with 2 teaspoons melted chocolate and sprinkle the hearts on the cheesecakes like you own the place.

MINI NO-BAKE CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Line two standard 12-count muffin pans with cupcake liners. Make sure you have room in your refrigerator for both pans. (You refrigerate them in step 6.)
• If your graham crackers aren't crumbs yet, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Spoon 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of the crust mixture into each muffin liner and use the back of the spoon to pack it down tightly.
• The next step is optional. Though it's not required, I recommend baking the crusts for a quick 5 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. The crusts are a little sturdier this way. However, if you can't use an oven or simply don't want to, you can skip this step. The crust will just be a bit crumblier. If baking, let the warm crusts cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling on top.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth. Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don't want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
• You can use a spoon or piping bag to transfer the filling on top of the crusts. Spoon or pipe about 2 Tablespoons of filling over each crust. I prefer piping the filling because it's a little easier and neater. Fit your piping bag with a large star or round piping tip, then transfer the filling to the bag and pipe. (You could also use a plastic zipped-top bag. Spoon the filling inside, snip an end off a corner, and pipe.) Use the back of a spoon to smooth the tops so they are flat.
• Refrigerate the mini cheesecakes in the pans for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. If refrigerating for longer than 3 hours, I recommend covering with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with optional toppings (see recipe Note). The cheesecakes begin to soften and stick to the liners after about 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
• Cover and store leftover mini cheesecakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

MINI NO-BAKE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and put a gingersnap in each cup.
• Stir the gelatin into the warm water in a microwave-safe bowl until mostly dissolved; let stand 5 minutes, then microwave in 10-second intervals until melted.
• Combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, gelatin mixture, pie spice and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until fluffy. Spread in the muffin cups over the gingersnaps and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
• Remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tins. Remove the liners and top with whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps.