Easy Mini Easter Egg Cheesecakes
These mini Easter egg cheesecakes are beyond delicious but also super easy! They have buttery graham cracker crusts, ridiculously creamy filling, and puddles of milk chocolate. The cheesecakes are then topped with chocolate ganache "nests" and egg candies for a cute and simple decoration. They're so pretty and make 12 individual servings for a crowd!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 85 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled (6 Tablespoons)
Cheesecake Filling
- 30 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 Tablespoons)
- 135 grams granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
- 455 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
- 130 grams mini egg candies like Cadbury, finely crushed (3/4 cup)
Ganache & Decoration
- 115 grams good-quality milk chocolate, divided (4 ounces)
- 60 milliliters heavy cream (1/4 cup)
- Mini egg candies like Cadbury, for decoration
Equipment
- Food processor or rolling pin
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mini cheesecake pan or standard cupcake pan with liners
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). If you're using a standard cupcake pan, line the cups with paper liners for easy removal. (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 semi-fine crumbs. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (150 grams). Add the sugar and melted butter, and pulse the mixture until the graham crackers are finely ground and you have a thick dough.
- Evenly divide the graham cracker mixture into the mini cheesecake cups, about 2 Tablespoons per cup (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Use a pastry tamper or the handle of a wooden spoon to press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 5 minutes, until the crusts are toasty and light golden-brown. Let the crusts cool completely while you prepare the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- Fill an oven-safe pan (like a small cake pan) with a few inches of water. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 1-2 minutes (it will be grainy). Then, add the cream cheese and beat until it's light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla bean paste or extract. Add the eggs and stir until smooth. Then, fold the chopped egg candies into the filling, just until the candies are well-distributed.
- 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 to smooth the filling evenly over the crusts, making sure it gets into all the edges.
- 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 15-16 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit wobbly (but not liquid-y). If they're not done after 16 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. Carefully remove the cheesecakes from the pan.
Ganache and Decoration
- Microwave 58 grams (2 ounces) of the milk chocolate in 5-second increments, just until it's slightly softened. Don't let the chocolate melt! Then, use a vegetable peeler to gently peel curls off the bar. (Alternatively, you can use a very sharp knife to chop the chocolate into thin shards.) Set the curls aside.
- Chop the remaining 58 grams (2 ounces) of chocolate into small chunks and place them in a small heat-proof bowl. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring often, but don't let the cream boil!
- Once the heavy cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then, stir the ganache until it's very smooth. Let it cool, stirring occasionally, until it's thickened to the consistency of fudge sauce. (This can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes.)
- Once the ganache is thickened, spoon about 1 teaspoon on top of each mini cheesecake. Use a teaspoon or butter knife to spread the ganache into a circular "nest" shape. Sprinkle the chocolate curls on the edges of the ganache nests.
- Right before serving, place 3 mini egg candies in the middle of each ganache nest. 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 smooth and creamy.
To crush the mini eggs, carefully use a sharp knife to chop them into shards. (Please be careful, they roll!) You can also place them in a zipper bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
If you’re using a cupcake pan, you will end up with about 18 mini cheesecakes. Start checking for doneness around 14 minutes.
Take the cheesecakes out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes before serving so they have time to warm up just a little.
It's easiest to spread the ganache if you let it cool until it's thickened, like fudge sauce. If you use the ganache right away, it'll drizzle over the sides.
Add the egg candies right before serving, or the shell will melt a bit in the fridge!
Serving: 1cheesecake, Calories: 480kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 228mg, Potassium: 124mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 40g, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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