I love cheesecake. There may or may not have been an incident around the holidays when cheesecake cravings drove me from my bed and into the leftover cheesecake in the fridge. There may or may not have been any left for JP the next day. Just sayin’.
So, in light of this cheesecake madness, I’ve decided that making mini-versions is in the interest of my hips. That way, there’s all the taste, and not as much guilt for pigging out in the middle of the night!
This recipe is a great base, because then you can add your favorite toppings— Nutella and whipped cream is my favorite. Oh yeah, baby. Bring on the hazelnut spread…it’s the shiznittabam. Topping the mini cheesecakes with berries is also a crowd pleaser and adds some gorgeous color.
You can also make these babies low carb is you sub Truvia (or your favorite sweetener) for the sugar and make a nut crust.
I’ve made these for several catering events recently and they are always a slam dunk! Get creative, get funky…get in on these little cupcake size cheesecake morsels of awesome. Yeah. They’re that good.
Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup plus 2 Tb sugar, divided
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 Tb butter
- 3 (8oz) packages of full fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier (optional)
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 cup whipping cream for topping
- fruit for topping
- Nutella for topping
Instructions
- Put 18 muffin/cupcake liners in tins.
- Melt butter and add cinnamon, 2 Tb sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Mix together.
- Add about a Tb portion of graham cracker mix in each cupcake liner. Press down.
- Heat oven to 325.
- Beat cream cheese, vanilla, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon zest, Grand Marnier until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each until blended.
- Spoon over crusts.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until centers are almost set. They may look like the have a crack on top--- and won't be browned. Don't be alarmed-- this means they are ready!
- Cool completely.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, take the cupcake liners off.
- Top with Nutella and then whipping cream.
- Alternatively, top with whipped cream and your favorite berries.
You can also check out some of my other cheesecake recipes below: