Why bake a whole cheesecake when you can satisfy your craving with these Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes!? Perfectly portioned creamy cheesecakes topped with a buttery salted caramel sauce. To die for!
I am in the FULL swing of fall baking and loving every second of it! Fall food has to be the BEST food, don’t you agree?
I mean, we have the crown jewel of fall food: Thanksgiving, plus all things butternut squash and pumpkin *drool*, sage, pomegranate, salted caramel… the list goes on and on.
Personally, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival/comeback of Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash soup which is my all-time FAVE, as well as Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, which is far and away my favorite TJ’s product EVER. If you’ve never had either of those, you have got to give them a try. My blood type is practically 90% butternut squash around this time of year.
I just find the flavors around fall to be so cozy and comforting. There’s something so satisfying about them, wouldn’t you agree? Like a giant hug or a fuzzy blanket, that is how butternut squash and salted caramel make me feel. (Separately, of course!)
When I was brainstorming recipes to make for #FallBaking2019 I wanted to focus on some salted caramel recipes. While salted caramel is aces year-round, its time to shine is definitely around this time of year and I knew you guys would be searching for some cozy caramel recipes. I also am sorely lacking in the cheesecake department and wanted to remedy that very quickly, so I decided to whip up some Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes and the result was delicious!
Mini cheesecakes take all of the exhausting prep-work and babysitting you have to do with regular cheesecakes. I don’t have pans big enough (or patience, for that matter) to make a water bath and a foil blanket around my cheesecake. It’s far too fussy for me to whip up, so the answer to that problem are mini cheesecakes for sure. These little guys are perfectly portioned and super easy since they don’t require special equipment or procedures to ensure delectable, scrumptious little cheesecakes.
You’ll simply make them in a muffin pan and bake them up until they’re set, then top with a salted caramel sauce (homemade, or store-bought!). Super simple! If you’re using store-bought salted caramel, I really LOVE the Smucker’s Simple Delight Salted Caramel Sauce. It’s thick, buttery and perfectly salted for maximum flavor!
Whatever you do, make these mini cheesecakes and feel the cozy hug from me to you!
Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Pie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12-14
These Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes are easy, irresistible and totally delicious! You are going to love the buttery salted caramel addition in every bite!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CRUST:
- One sleeve (or about 1 cup ground) graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- FOR THE CHEESECAKE:
- 16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup salted caramel sauce
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- 1 cup salted caramel sauce (I like Smucker’s Simple Delight Salted Caramel, but you can use homemade!)
- Sea salt for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 1 muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter and stir until moistened and mixture resembles wet sand. Using a Tablespoon measuring spoon, spoon about a Tablespoon or so of the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Use the bottom of a spice jar to compress the graham cracker mixture neatly into the bottom of each muffin cavity. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven but keep oven on.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and brown sugar with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and sour cream, beating well and scraping down sides if necessary, followed by the salted caramel sauce. Mixture should be very smooth.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop about 2 Tablespoons of cheesecake among each muffin cup, filling about ¾ of the muffin cavity. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cheesecake tops are very light golden brown and the centers appear set and not jiggly. Cool completely.
- Once cooled, spoon a Tablespoon of salted caramel on top of each cheesecake and then refrigerate to set, about 1 hour.
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You are going to love that rich, buttery salted caramel flavor in these!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
