These mini gingerbread cheesecakes are perfect for Christmas or the holidays. They are creamy, full of flavor, and baked in a muffin pan. These cheesecakes have a cinnamon graham cracker crust, spiced gingerbread cheesecake, and whipped cream. They are topped with a gingerbread men cookie for decoration. These are perfect for a Christmas party.
These mini gingerbread cheesecakes are perfect if you want to make cheesecake, but an entire 9 inch cheesecake is too much. There is something so great about dessert in mini form!
If you want more Christmas recipes, try hot chocolate cupcakes, white chocolate toffee cookies, and white chocolate cupcakes.
Why You Will Love This
- Mini desserts- These cheesecakes are great because they are mini and people can just grab and go!
- Cinnamon graham cracker crust- The extra cinnamon in the crust pairs so well with the gingerbread flavor.
- Baked in a muffin pan- These are so easy to make since they are baked right in a muffin pan!
- Gingerbread cheesecake- I use less molasses in this recipe. It still gives it a great gingerbread flavor, without an overwhelming amount of molasses.
- Whipped cream- No cheesecake is complete without whipped cream!
Ingredient Notes
- Pull out dairy ingredients for cheesecake 2 hours before baking.
- Graham crackers- You can also use Oreos, vanilla wafers, or any other "cookie".
- Brown sugar- I used dark brown sugar.
- Cream cheese- Use full fat cream cheese.
- Sour cream- Use full fat sour cream.
- Molasses- Use grandma's molasses. Don't use black strap, it is too dark.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make and bake these mini cheesecakes.
STEP 1: Make graham cracker crust. First, blend the graham crackers into a fine crumb. Use a food processer or blender.
STEP 2: Mix crumbs. Mix the crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter with a fork. It should be wet and not dry.
STEP 3: Scoop the crust. Scoop the crumbs into the muffin pan. Use a compacted Tablespoon. Then, use the bottoms of a spice jar to compact the crust down. It doesn't need to prebake.
STEP 4: Beat cream cheese. Use a mixer and beat the cream cheese and brown sugar. It needs to light and fluffy with no clumps remaining.
STEP 5: Mix in wet ingredients and spices. Mix the sour cream, molasses, and spices. It should be a fluffy batter. Make sure it is completely smooth before adding in the eggs.
STEP 6: Mix in eggs. Mix the eggs on low one at a time. The goal is to have as little air as possible mixed in with the eggs. Stop mixing as soon as it is just combined.
STEP 7: Scoop the cheesecake. Use a 3oz cookie scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin pan. It needs to be full like the picture.
STEP 8: Bake the cheesecake. Bake the mini cheesecakes for 20-25 minutes. Let them sit in the oven for 15 minutes. Then, let them cool completely before chilling.
Expert Tips
To prevent cracks in the cheesecake:
- The cream cheese, brown sugar, and all of the wet ingredients (besides eggs) need to be beaten on high. The cheesecake batter needs to be completely smooth. Otherwise any clumps can cause cracks.
- Mix eggs on low. I mentioned earlier, but the eggs need as little air as possible. If there is too much air, air bubbles will rise while baking and collapse. This causes cracks.
- Let the cheesecakes sit in the hot oven for 15 minutes. It will let the cheesecakes slowly cool.
The cheesecakes can also crack if they are overbaked.
There will be a very slight jiggle in the middle, but the edges are set. Check the cheesecakes after 20 minutes in the oven.
Decorating Ideas
These cheesecakes can be piped with whipped cream, or you can do a dollop of whipped cream on top. Either way, it will be delcious.
Now, I topped these cheesecakes with mini gingerbread men. I used this recipe for the gingerbread men. Those are optional.
FAQ
Yes you can. These will make an 8X8 pan of gingerbread cheesecake.
Yes you can! You can add ¼ cup of diced pecans to the crust. You can also roast pecans and add them on top.
You can make these up to 4 days ahead of time. The whipped cream should be made the day you are serving these.
Storing and Freezing
Store these mini gingerbread cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 5 days.
Freezing
The mini cheesecakes can be frozen (before decorating). Wrap them in cling wrap and freeze up to 30 days. To thaw, place in the fridge for 24 hours or place on the counter for 1 hour.
Then, you can decorate.
Other Cheesecake Recipes To Try
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Mini Gingerbread Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¼ cup Graham cracker crumbs 1 packet of crackers
- ⅛ cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoon Unsalted butter melted
Gingerbread Cheesecake
- 16 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- ¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup Unsulfured molasses
- 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon Ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 2 Large eggs room temperature
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon Powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners. Set aside.
- Using a blender, blend the graham cracker crumbs into a fine crumb. Mix crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together with a fork. Use 1 tablespoon and scoop into each muffin liner.1 ¼ cup Graham cracker crumbs, ⅛ cup Brown sugar, ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 5 tablespoon Unsalted butter
- Use the back of a spice jar or a ⅛th measuring cup to compact the crust. Set aside.
Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese on high for 1 minute. Add in the brown sugar and beat on high for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.16 oz Cream cheese, ½ cup Brown sugar
- Add in sour cream, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Beat until combined and smooth. Add in eggs one a time and mix on low until just combined.¼ cup Sour cream, ¼ cup Unsulfured molasses, 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoon Ground ginger, ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg, 2 Large eggs
- Use a 3 oz cookie scoop and scoop the cheesecake batter into the muffin liner. Fill it up all the way.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cheesecakes are done when the middle has a very slight jiggle. Turn off the oven, crack open the door, and let the cheesecakes sit for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool. Cover and chill for 6 hours to overnight. (keep the liners on)
Whipped Cream
- Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. While you wait, take the liners off the cheesecakes.
- Mix heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.1 cup Heavy cream, 2 tablespoon Powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- Pipe the whipped cream on top of the cheesecakes.
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