Amazing Mini Crème Brûlée Cheesecakes (No Water Bath!)
Say hello to one of my new favorite dinner party desserts. These mini crème brûlée cheesecakes are surprisingly easy to make, no water bath or springform pan needed. With graham cracker crust, vanilla bean filling, and a crackly sugar topping, they're elegant, decadent, and so dreamy!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 90 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled (6 Tablespoons)
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- 28 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 Tablespoons)
- 130 grams granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
- 454 grams full-fat cream cheese, softened (16 ounces)
- 150 grams full-fat sour cream, room temperature (2/3 cup)
- 15 milliliters vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 50 grams superfine sugar or more granulated sugar, for topping (1/4 cup)
Equipment
- Food processor or rolling pin
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mini cheesecake pan or standard cupcake pan with paper liners
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). If you're using a cupcake pan, line the cups with paper liners. (See the Recipe Notes for more details on using a cupcake pan.)
- Add the graham crackers to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have about 150 grams (1 1/2 cups) of semi-fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter, and blend the mixture until the graham crackers are finely ground and you have a thick dough.
- Divide the graham cracker mixture into the mini cheesecake cups, about 2 Tablespoons per cup (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Then, using a pastry tamper or the handle of a wooden spoon, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the crusts are toasty and light golden-brown. Cool completely.
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Filling
- Fill an oven-safe pan with a few inches of water. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Then, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together. The mixture will be grainy. Add the cream cheese and beat until it's light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla bean paste. Add the eggs and mix just until the filling is well-combined.
- Using a #20 cookie scoop, evenly divide the filling between the cooled crusts, about 3 Tablespoons per cup (or 2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Use a butter knife or small rubber spatula to smooth the filling evenly over the crusts, making sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
- Place the mini cheesecake pan (or cupcake pan) on the middle rack of the oven and set the pan of water on the rack under the mini cheesecakes. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit wobbly (like Jell-O). If they're not done after 17 minutes, bake them for another 1-2 minutes.
- Once the cheesecakes are baked, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the mini cheesecakes cool for 1 hour in the oven to keep the tops from cracking. Then, cover the pan and refrigerate the cheesecakes for another 3-4 hours or until the filling is completely set.
Brûléed Topping
- When you're ready to serve, gently remove the cheesecakes from the pan and place them on a sheet pan. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of superfine or granulated sugar over the top of each cake. Gently tap the pan to evenly distribute the sugar.
- Use a kitchen torch to brûlée the sugar until it's melted and caramelized to your desired doneness. (I like a deeper golden-brown personally.) Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have a food processor, you can also place the graham crackers in a zipper bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Then, mix the crust together by hand in a large mixing bowl.
It’s important that all of the ingredients are room temperature when you mix the filling so that it comes out silky and creamy.
If you’re using a cupcake pan, you will end up with about 18 mini cheesecakes. Start checking for doneness around 14 minutes.
Regular granulated sugar will work just as well as superfine sugar for the topping. It just doesn't caramelize quite as evenly!
In a pinch, you can also caramelize the sugar under a broiler in the oven. Place the oven rack as close to the top of your oven as possible and broil for 3-5 minutes, occasionally rotating the pan, until the sugar is evenly melted and browned.
Serving: 1cheesecake, Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 212mg, Potassium: 102mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 23g, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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