Do you ever just crave cheesecake? I do. I love pumpkin cheesecake best but there isn’t really any type that I don’t like. I love the creamy filling and the rich taste of indulgence on my tongue. The problem is that I just can’t eat a whole cheesecake.
Even if I could eat it all, I really, really shouldn’t. So I was thrilled when I figured out how to convert regular cheesecake recipes to miniatures that I could freeze, unthawing a few at a time for guests or pampering
The recipes below are adapted from the Philadelphia Cheesecake website at KraftRecipes.com. The recipes call for regular cream cheese but I often use light cream cheese with no loss of flavor or richness. I love cookies too. Yes, I have a serious sweet tooth.
One of my favourite tricks to make this faster is to use cookies for the base rather than the normal graham crumb crust. This works particularly well in the muffin cups used for miniatures. It also makes it easier to adjust if your recipe makes more (or fewer) miniatures than expected.
Regular crusts will work well too, feel free to make substitutions.
If you intend to freeze some of the miniatures, wrap them well or freeze them in a Tupperware container with a good seal.
New York Cheesecake
Nothing beats a classic. You can top it with fresh fruit, pie fillings, whip cream, caramel and nuts, or nothing at all and it always hits the spot.
This recipe should make approximately two dozen miniatures.
Line two muffin tins (twelve muffin cups each) with paper liners. Always use liners so that your cheesecake doesn’t stick to the pan. It makes removal a lot easier.
In each liner, place one vanilla cookie – it can be a Nilla wafer, digestive cookie, tea cookie or whatever you fancy; ginger snaps make a nice change of pace.
- 5 (8oz) packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 TB flour
- 1 TB vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream (again, light or fat free work just fine)
- 4 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 F. Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended. Add in sour cream and continue to mix until blended. Lower mixer speed to low and add eggs in one at a time, mixing just until blended after each egg.
Pour topping over cookie lined muffin cups to about ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely and then refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
Chocolate Cheesecake
I know that tradition favors real chocolate with cheesecake but I actually like white chocolate with a hint of orange or lemon better.
This is the traditional version but if you feel like an adventure substitute white chocolate for semi-sweet and add a few tablespoons of lemon or orange zest.
Take 9 Oreo cookies and separate them. Eat the filling (don’t lick the cookie, or, if you do, don’t tell anyone you did) and keep the two cookie wafers. Line 18 muffins cups with paper liners and add a wafer to the bottom of each cup.
- 3 (8oz) packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces if you are using baking squares, melt it and let it cool slightly
- 3 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 F. Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add in chocolate and continue to mix until fully blended. Lower mixer speed and add in eggs, one at a time until just barely blended. Pour into cookie lined cups to about ¾ full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until centers are almost set. Cool completely and refrigerate at least two hours. You can top it with whipping cream and fresh fruit (strawberries work well) if desired.
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
You can do this with any kind of fruit you’d like. I like blueberries and this one is my father’s favourite.
Line 18-20 muffin cups with paper liners and a plain cookie such as a tea cookie, digestive or Nilla wafer.
- 4 (8oz) packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups of fruit
Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar together with an electric mixer until well blended. Add in sour cream and continue to mix until fully blended. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low until just blended. Pour into muffin cups until about ¾ full.
Put fruit in a blender and puree. Place 1 TB of fruit on each cup and then swirl it into the batter using a knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just barely set. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
Oreo Cheesecake
Who doesn’t love Oreos? They make you feel like a kid again, not to mention that they taste great.
Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and Oreo cookie wafers. Eat the filling.
- 4 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups of broken up Oreo cookies (whole cookies, don’t eat the filling out of these ones!)
Preheat oven to 325 F. Using an electric mixer to fully blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add in sour cream and blend again. Add eggs individually and blend lightly after each one.
Stir in cookie pieces. Pour the batter into the muffin cups until they are ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just barely set. Refrigerate at least two hours before enjoying.
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Pumpkin cheesecake is newer than most other flavors. It has quickly become one of my favourites. The spices and cheese taste great together and it isn’t too sweet.
Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and ginger snaps.
- 4 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Dash of ground cloves
Preheat 325 F. Beat cream cheese, ¾ cup of sugar, and vanilla until fully blended. Lower mixer speed and add eggs one at a time, blending lightly after each addition. Divide batter into two parts. Take half the batter and fill each muffin cup to about 1/3 full.
Take the remaining half and add remaining sugar, pumpkin, and spices and mix completely. Take batter and add it to each muffin cup until it is about ¾ full in total. Swirl the two batters together using a knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just barely set. Refrigerate at least two hours before you indulge.
All girls deserve cheesecake, so make it and enjoy!
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