These Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are not only adorable, but delicious too! Petite, creamy pumpkin spice cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust and sweetened whipped cream for a perfectly portioned treat!
I literally cannot believe that Thanksgiving is a mere month or so away. I feel like I just celebrated my birthday last week… and my birthday is in January, y’all. I still remember what I was wearing at my birthday dinner AND what I ate and I never remember meals. The last time I had steak, Clinton was probably still in office.
Also, I have this cool party trick where I can tell you EXACTLY what will be served at Thanksgiving.
JK. It’s because we’ve had the exact same spread since friggen Nixon was in office. It has not changed one bit unfortunately. Every year I read the latest November issues of my favorite cooking magazines featuring glorious spreads of unique Thanksgiving-inspired sides or exotic turkeys and I dream of something a little different. But my family is not as adventurous as I am and therefore would straight up flip the damn dinner table like a Real Housewife if I showed up with haricot verts instead of canned green beans. In fact, if forced to even utter the term “haricot verts” they would probably call it “hairy-cot vertz” which is about as appetizing as a hairy cot.
But each year, I try to do a different dessert to liven things up a bit. Of course, I have to have apple AND pumpkin pie (apple for everyone, pumpkin for the very few who demand it), but I’ll usually whip up something else. (Another thing – we Parkers are a rare breed. If it weren’t for my extended family, we would probably never eat pumpkin pie again. No one in my immediate family is a big fan, including myself, which is why it is my life’s mission to make us something pumpkin-y we can enjoy).
So since I am trying to make a new dessert for Thanksgiving dinner, I figured these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes would fare well! While I dislike pumpkin pie itself (I know, bad food blogger!), I do enjoy other pumpkin desserts and these petite cheesecakes are no exception! They’re just the right amount of pumpkin-y for me – not overwhelmingly squash-y, but still spicy and sweet. The combination of the creamy cheesecake and the buttery graham cracker crust is totally irresistible! And like any self-respecting pumpkin dessert, it has GOT to have homemade whipped cream on top!
To really drive home that amazing spice flavor, I like to add a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice on top. Not only does it look pretty, it adds a little extra zing of flavor!
Not only are these little cheesecakes SOOOO CUTE, they’re great portion control and easier to make than an entire cheesecake, IMO! No one has time for water baths – I barely have time to bathe much less draw my dessert a bath. Mini cheesecakes solve that problem!
Now who wants one?!
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Pie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 24
These Easy Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are not only adorable, but delicious too! Creamy, cool, soft and perfectly spiced with real pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices!
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or you can use gingersnap cookie crumbs!)
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Fresh whipped cream and additional pumpkin pie spice for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tin with 24 paper liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter until moistened. Drop a heaping Tablespoonful or so of graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of each muffin cavity. Gently compress the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, but keep the oven on.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and brown sugar until fluffy and light, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Lastly, add in the sour cream and mix well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop out about 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin cheesecake batter into each muffin cup. Return to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops of the cheesecakes appear set and do not jiggle when gently shaken. Cool in the pans completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set before serving. Just before serving, garnish with freshly whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Store any leftovers airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
3.5.3251
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
