MINI CHRISTMAS CHEESECAKE

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These petite Christmas cheesecake delights offer a delightful way to share the festive spirit. Crafted with a decadent Oreo cookie crust and a swirl of red and green creamy cheesecake filling, these little treats are finished with a fluffy layer of decadent whipped cream and adorned with festive sprinkles in merry hues. They make a splendid addition to your holiday dessert spread, adding a touch of joy to your seasonal celebrations.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

  • Baking up in miniature form, these Christmas cheesecakes are ideal bite-sized treats for holiday gatherings. They’re effortlessly served without the fuss or mess of cutting a large cake.
  • As baked cheesecakes, they eliminate the need for gelatin or other setting agents. The recipe yields irresistibly indulgent cheesecakes with a creamy filling, showcasing vibrant festive colors and holiday flavors—making them a perfect addition to your holiday table.
  • These petite delights also serve as a wonderful gift idea during the festive season.

INGREDIENTS

Crafting mini cheesecakes requires a bit more time than preparing a larger cheesecake. This is primarily due to the need to individually prepare crusts for each mini cake and divide the batter into numerous smaller casings. However, the advantage lies in the fact that mini cheesecakes are served in individual portions, eliminating the hassle of cutting a larger cake.

CHEESECAKE CRUST

  • Oreo cookies – Use whole cookies, including the filling.
  • Butter – I use salted butter. Unsalted butter will work just fine.

CHEESECAKE BATTER

  • Cream cheese: Opt for the block variety, not the spreadable kind. Philadelphia cream cheese is a recommended choice. Ensure the cheese reaches room temperature before use.
  • Granulated sugar (caster sugar): Fine sugar is preferable for optimal dissolution in the batter compared to coarse sugar.
  • All-purpose flour: It’s advisable to sift the flour before use to eliminate any lumps.
  • Vanilla extract: This ingredient contributes flavor and aroma to the mini cheesecakes.
  • Lemon zest: Introduces a delightful tangy taste to the filling, reminiscent of lemon cheesecake.
  • Heavy cream: Add this in liquid form; there’s no need to whip it beforehand.
  • Eggs: Choose large-sized eggs for the recipe.
  • Red and green food coloring: Use these to tint the batter with festive hues.

TOPPING & GARNISH

  • Whipped cream: Opt for dairy whipping cream with a minimum of 35% fat for the most flavorful result.
  • Sprinkles: Select a mix of Christmas colors for a festive touch.

SUBSTITUTION AND VARIATIONS

  • The Oreo cookie crust can be substituted with the classic graham cracker crust or Nilla wafer cookies. Omitting sugar from the Oreo crust is optional, as the cookie filling provides sufficient sweetness. For a graham cracker crust, process the crackers into fine crumbs and incorporate 15g of granulated sugar.
  • If you prefer, you can replace the heavy cream in the cheesecake batter with sour cream, using the same quantity.
  • To create mini orange Christmas cheesecakes, swap the lemon rind with one tablespoon of grated orange zest. Add this to the cheesecake batter after incorporating the cream, mix well, and bake as usual.
  • For an alternative to the sprinkles topping, consider using chopped fresh strawberries or homemade strawberry filling on the whipped cream. Other options include crushed candy cane, chopped peppermint bark, mini marshmallows, or chocolate chips. Enhance these with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce and adorn each cheesecake with a mini gingerbread man cookie (using a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter) for a cute and adorable touch.
  • If you prefer a full-size cheesecake instead of mini ones, you can prepare this recipe in a 7-inch round springform pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and bake the cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes. For a 9-inch round cheesecake, double the recipe and increase the baking time to about 65 to 70 minutes, ensuring the sides are firm and the center is still slightly wobbly.

HOW TO MAKE

MAKING THE CRUST

To initiate the preparation of the mini Christmas cheesecakes, begin by creating the crust. I utilized Oreo cookies and melted butter for this step. As the cookies, along with their filling, were processed in a food processor, there’s no necessity for additional sugar in the crust. Combine the crumbs with melted butter until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened.

Evenly distribute the crumbs among 12 cupcake liners, using approximately one tablespoon of crumbs in each paper liner. Press down on the cookie crumbs firmly using the sides of a small rolling pin, or any other small, flat tool, to create an even layer.

Set the prepared crust aside for further steps.

MAKING THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

  1. Moving on to the filling for the mini Christmas cheesecakes, begin by softening the cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl, beating it for no more than 30 to 60 seconds, all while consistently scraping the sides of the bowl.
  2. Combine sugar, flour, lemon zest, and salt simultaneously, adding them to the cheese, and beat for an additional 20 seconds. Make sure to scrape the bowl every 10 seconds during this process.
  3. Introduce both eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture, beating for 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl, then beat for an additional 10 seconds until the mixture achieves a smooth consistency. It’s acceptable for tiny specks of cheese to remain in the mini Christmas cheesecake batter at this stage; avoid overmixing to prevent the formation of air bubbles in the batter.
  4. Carefully fold in the heavy cream using a spatula.
  5. Subsequently, divide one-third of the batter between two bowls. Incorporate red food coloring into one bowl, using Americolor Crimson for the red hue. In the other bowl, add green food coloring, opting for Americolor Forest Green for the green coloration.

THE MARBLED EFFECT

  1. Spoon the batter into the prepared crusts, beginning with the plain batter, followed by a layer of green batter. Next, add the red batter, then top it with another layer of plain batter. Repeat this process with the final scoops of red and green batter, and finish by topping it off with the remaining plain batter.
  2. Fill each casing almost to the brim. Employ a skewer to gently cut through the batter in a circular motion, being careful not to cut through the cookie crust at the bottom.

DECORATING THE FESTIVE CHEESECAKES

  1. Bake the mini Christmas cheesecakes at 150 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Once baked, allow them to rest in the oven for approximately 10 minutes before taking them out. Let the cheesecakes cool to room temperature and then refrigerate them for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before carefully peeling off the cupcake casings.
  2. When removing the casings, do so gradually by pulling the sides away all around before attempting to remove the bottom.
  3. Finish by topping each mini Christmas cheesecake with piped whipped cream, whipped until stiff peaks form. I used tip 1M for the swirls.
  4. Just before serving, add the sprinkles. The sprinkles I used were from Fancy Sprinkles.

Mini Christmas Cheesecake

These delightful mini Christmas cheesecakes are crafted in cupcake sizes. They are simple to assemble and serve as exquisite treats for the Christmas season!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 4hours hours

Total Time: 4hours hours 50minutes minutes

Yield:  mini cheesecakes

Author: verjina

For optimal outcomes, adhere to the metric measurements. The use of US customary measurements has not been tested and is provided solely as a guideline.

Ingredients

Cheesecake Crust

  • ▢100 g Oreo Cookies Crushed with the filling
  • ▢30 g butter melted

Cheesecake Batter

  • ▢450 g cream cheese
  • ▢150 g granulated sugar
  • ▢20 g all purpose flour
  • ▢½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ▢1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ▢60 g heavy cream
  • ▢2 eggs
  • ▢red & green food coloring

Topping & Garnish

  • ▢Whipped cream
  • ▢Sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake tray with cupcake casings.
  • In a food processor or by placing them in a zip lock bag and using a rolling pin, process the Oreo cookies, including the filling, into fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, add melted butter, and mix until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened.
  • Place approximately one tablespoon of the cookie crumbs into each cupcake casing. Use the sides of a small rolling pin to firmly pack down the crumbs. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, taking about 30 to 60 seconds, and scraping the bowl regularly.
  • Add sugar, flour, and lemon zest, then beat for an additional 20 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Add both eggs and vanilla extract at once, beat for about 10 seconds until well combined, scrape the bowl, and continue beating for another 10 seconds until the batter is smooth and creamy. Avoid overbeating to prevent excessive air incorporation.
  • Fold in the heavy cream.
  • Transfer one-third of the batter into two smaller bowls. Add green food coloring to one bowl and red coloring to the other. Mix thoroughly.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake casings, starting with the plain batter and alternating between the green and red batter. Use a skewer to create a marbled pattern by cutting through the batter in a circular motion, ensuring the skewer does not touch the crust.
  • Bake the mini cheesecakes at 150 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. To maintain moisture, place a baking dish filled with water in the oven while baking.
  • Once baked, leave the cakes in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let them cool for another 15 minutes.
  • Refrigerate the cakes for at least 4 hours or overnight. Once thoroughly chilled, carefully peel off the cupcake casings.
  • Before serving, top the cheesecakes with whipped cream and sprinkles.
  • Remember to keep any leftovers refrigerated.

Notes

  • To make a full-size cake, follow the aforementioned instructions and pour the mixture into a 7-inch round cake tin. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes.
  • If you’re opting for a 9-inch round cake, double the provided recipe and bake for approximately 65 to 70 minutes, ensuring the sides are firm while the center remains slightly wobbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 679IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

ENJOY!