Mini Cheesecakes

These amazing mini cheesecakes with a crunchy graham cracker/pecan crust are really irresistible.  The cakes are sweet and creamy, while the crust is crunchy and flavorful.

You can garnish these yummy treats with whipped cream, berries, melted chocolate, chopped nuts, pie filling, or simply enjoy them plain.

For best results, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature cream cheese. If the cream cheese is too firm the batter will not be smooth.

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 16 Graham Crackers (more if you’d like a thicker crust)
• ¼ cup sugar (24g)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (56g), melted
• ½ cup pecans (35g), toasted
• ½ tsp cinnamon (1g)

For the Cheesecake:

• 1 pound cream cheese (454g), at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar (200g)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs large, at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5ml)
• ¼ tsp salt

Mini Cheesecakes

Directions:

For the Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line cupcake tins with parchment paper.
3. Add Graham crackers and toasted pecans to your food processor and pulse until broken into small pieces.
4. Then add in the sugar and cinnamon then pulse until mixed in completely.
5. Pour in melted butter while pulsing processor then remove blades and use a spatula to mix in the butter completely.
6. Using a spoon, scoop out the mixture into the cupcake tins and press into a flat layer.
7. Place in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant and a slightly dark golden color.
8. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the Filling:

1. Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium speed to cream.
2. Add in the sugar and salt to the bowl and mix on medium until creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed and mix until completely homogeneous.
3. Then add in the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Add in the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition before adding the next until completely smooth.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the cheesecake mixture to your cupcake tin up to about ¾ way full.
6. Place in the oven and bake at 350F for about 18-20 minutes. Then turn off the oven but leave the oven door closed and allow cake to rest for another 20 minutes in the oven.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
8. You can enjoy them warm or chilled and you can also garnish the cakes with whipped cream, berries, melted chocolate or simply enjoy them plain.