Super Creamy Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes
These mini vanilla cheesecakes are basic but they taste anything but! With buttery graham cracker crust and a super silky, vanilla bean-flecked filling, they're an amazing canvas for any of your favorite sauces and toppings. Even better, you need just 25 minutes of hands-on time and you'll end up with 12 individual cheesecakes for parties and get togethers!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 86 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled (6 Tablespoons)
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- 28 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 Tablespoons)
- 132 grams granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
- 454 grams full-fat cream cheese, softened (16 ounces)
- 152 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
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 cracker sheets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have semi-fine crumbs. You should have around 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (148 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). 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. Let the crusts cool completely while you prepare the filling.
Vanilla 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 - it will be grainy. Then, add the cream cheese and beat until the cream cheese is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla bean paste. Add the eggs and beat 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 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 1-3 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. Serve with any of your favorite toppings 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.
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 about 20-30 minutes before serving so they have time to warm up just a little.
Serving: 1cheesecake, Calories: 347kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 212mg, Potassium: 102mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 19g, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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