Easy Mini Cheesecakes with Strawberry Topping

Graham cracker crust, standard cheesecake filling with a lovely strawberry topping, these mini cheesecakes are just like the classic cheesecake we all know and love, only these are made in a muffin pan.

Who doesn’t love cheesecake? 

This is a simple way to make cheesecake that tastes very delicious just like a full sized traditional cheesecake, but without the baking hassles we’ve encountered with a full sized cheesecake.

Individual cheesecakes are a perfect dessert idea or treat for a special occasion such as a birthday party or Valentine’s party; it’s also a great summer dessert for cookouts, tea parties, friends parties, etc.

There are three main components of these mini cheesecakes:

Crushed graham crackers make the perfect base for these creamy vanilla cheesecake confections.

A simple classic cream cheese mixture turns into a delightful mini cheesecake.

And strawberry just so happens to be one of my favorite flavors for desserts and such, so our strawberry dessert recipe is quite lovely on top of these mini cheesecakes.

It’s somewhat standard in the Mennonite community for a meal schedule to be planned after the arrival of a new baby.

And I’m never sure what to make when it’s my turn to take a meal.

So this time I made these little cheesecakes for a cute dessert to compliment the meal I was taking to a friend who just had a baby; proving that they’re great to make and take as well!

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Supplies we used

• Muffin tin or cupcake pan
• Cupcake paper liners
• Rolling pin
• Ziploc bag
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Glass measuring cup pitcher or small bowls for mixing
• Silicone spatula
• Handheld electric mixer

Ingredients for Mini Cheesecakes

For the buttery graham cracker crust:

Graham cracker crumbs (scroll down to see how we did this!)

Butter – your preference of salted or unsalted butter

For the creamy cheesecake filling:

Room temperature cream cheese

Egg

Sugar – granulated white sugar

Vanilla – vanilla extract

For the strawberry topping:

Strawberry topping – our favorite recipe for homemade strawberry dessert, thickened fruit salad dessert, or a can of pie filling or jam from the store.

How to make graham cracker crumbs

Method #1: (the one we used!)

Transfer the contents of one sleeve of graham crackers to a ziploc bag. 

Remove as much air as you can from the bag and zip shut.

Take a rolling pin or your hands and crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.

Method #2:

​Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse the graham crackers into fine crumbs.

One package of graham crackers equals about one cup of crumbs.

How to quickly soften cream cheese 

If you’re stovetop has a warm zone, place the cold block of cream cheese on the warm zone and turn it on low or medium heat. 

Flip the cream cheese block about every 5 to 10 minutes until it’s soft and mixable!

How to make Easy Mini Cheesecakes with Strawberry Topping

You’ll want to begin with softened cream cheese, so it’s best to get that out of the refrigerator ahead of time so it can come to room temperature. (Or use the method above!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake or muffin pan.

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop, then stir the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together in a mixing bowl and divide evenly among the 12 cupcake liners.

Press the buttered graham cracker crumbs down with your fingers, forming the crusts.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer on medium to high speed to beat the softened cream cheese until smooth then add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat again until smooth.

Divide the cheesecake batter evenly (approximately a heaping tablespoon in each one) among the 12 mini crusts. (We just used a tablespoon, but a cookie scoop would work well too!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until puffy and set. (Don’t worry if they crack a little; they’re getting a lovely topping!) Cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.

Once the cheesecakes have chilled, remove the cupcake wrappers (this is optional) and top each one with a heaping teaspoon of strawberry dessert or pie filling or jam.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you’d rather, you can use any flavor of canned pie filling or jam instead of strawberry dessert. If it were strawberry season, fresh strawberries would be another great garnish idea!

You can also make these into a super mini dessert by making them in a mini muffin tin. 

Check out some more delicious dessert recipes from our small town!

Eclair Dessert

Raspberry Jello Cups

Strawberry Cupcakes

Have you made Easy Mini Cheesecakes with Strawberry Topping?

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