Treat your sweet tooth to a sampling of perfectly portioned gourmet mini cheesecake love!
These yummy minis will certainly bring cheer to your table for any holiday, party celebration and is perfect when entertaining guests when you want to impress and it’s definitely a dessert people will swoon over.
They’re creamy, dense and have a lovely firm New York cheesecake texture that is to die for. It sits on a thick, buttery graham cracker crust! Oh my!
Mind you, you can dress these up however you want. Add blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries or any fruit pie filling will do, chocolate syrup, chocolate ganache, mini chocolate chips, salted caramel sauce, chopped nuts and the list goes on.
They all sound good to me!
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought these would be perfect to serve the whole family. Chocolate covered strawberries on top of chocolate ganache is the perfect compliment to the holiday right?
For birthdays, add sprinkles!
For the die-hard candy bar addicts, add chopped Snickers or your favorite candy bar on top to make it really special.
Whatever you top them with, (or don’t top them with) the cheesecake is the star of the show being all rich, delicious and luxurious. Look at you, you lovely cheesecakes!
I used a mini cheesecake pan
If you don’t have this pan, you can use paper-lined muffin tins, because who wants to miss out on cheesecake?
They bake anywhere from 15 to 18 minutes, until the centers are slightly jiggly.
Let them cool down for an hour, then refrigerate for up to 2 hours and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks. The sour cream allows you to freeze them quite nicely.
Who’s ready for some mini cheesecakes? Me! Me! Me!!
Tips for cheesecake:
Make sure cream cheese is softened, that way you don’t get lumps and do not over-beat the eggs. Over-beating can cause the cheesecakes to crack or deflate.
Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 sleeve or 9 sheets of Graham crackers crushed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons salted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature & softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream -
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, or spray the mini cheesecake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- In a bowl, mix together the crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter.
- Divide the mixture into each of the tins, and then press it down into an even layer with some of the graham cracker mixture going up the sides. (I used a shot glass to help press the bottom down, it fits nicely to get the graham cracker to go up the sides.)
- Bake for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and start making the filling..
Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl, using a mixer on low speed, mix the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then mix in the flour until just combined. (make sure cream cheese is softened, so you don't get lumps)
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just combined. Add the vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream, and mix until combined. (Don't over-beat eggs, to avoid cracks and deflation)
- To release any air bubbles, tap the bowl on the counter 10-15 times.
- If you are using a mini cheesecake pan, fill each one up to the top and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the centers are slightly jiggly.
- If you are using a muffin pan, divide the batter among the cavities to about 2/3 full. You will have extra batter and bake for 20 to 23 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool up to an hour. Once cooled, refrigerate, covered loosely with plastic wrap or a sealed container, for at least 2-3 hours and up to 3 days. They can also be frozen after chilling. If you add any toppings, theyโre best served within 1 day.
- Top with your favorite toppings!
Chocolate Ganache for topping and/or chocolate covered strawberries:
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan heat the heavy cream just until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes before stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Allow to cool and thicken. Dip strawberries in chocolate after drizzling ganache over cheesecakes and chill in refrigerator. (May have to double recipe if doing both as a topping and covering strawberries.)
Can you use this to make one larger cheese cake?
I think you could do it in a graham cracker crust or something of similar size for sure. Enjoy!!
If youโre using graham cracker crumbs, how many cups would that be?
Hey Mimi! Thank for your question! Here’s my cheat sheet:
So, for Honey Maid Crackers:
4 crackers = 1/2 cup
8 crackers = 1 cup
12 crackers = 1.5 cups
So maybe close to 1 1/4 cups but not over. Hope that helps!