Mini Cheesecake Bites Recipe

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These mini cheesecake bites are made with Philadelphia cream cheese, giving them a rich and creamy texture that melts in your mouth. These bite-sized treats are perfect for any occasion and are so easy to make. With a Nila Wafer crust and cherry pie filling on top, these mini cheesecake bites are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Try the recipe now and indulge in the deliciousness of cream cheese!

Mini cheesecakes are that iconic recipe from my childhood that is attached to so many good memories.

My mom always made these little, delicate, desserts for special occasions, holidays and parties. In my mind, they are the classic “party food” right up there with my favorite “aunt”, Auntie Karen’s Strawberry Pretzel Jello. Between those two deserts, you knew you were in for a good time! 

Isn’t it funny how certain foods have the ability to transport you back to specific times in your life? How food can be so distinctly tied to a memory. 

These bite-sized cheesecakes are decadent and rich from the Philadelphia cream cheese and topped with just the right amount of sweetness with a cherry from canned cherry pie. 

The best thing about these little treats, is that they can be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator and are easy to transport. Which is perfect when you’re planning on taking them to a party or gathering! 

TIP: You do need to make these ahead of time as they need time to completely cool in the refrigerator after baking. So do not plan on making these right before you need them. After baking them, they must be placed in the refrigerator for several hours (at a minimum) – really it should be overnight (which is soooo hard because you just want to eat them all right away, I know!) But in order to achieve the true flavor, they need to be chilled completely. 

Important Notes:

• You need MINI Nilla Wafers for this recipe!! 
• Because these are mini in size it is best to use a mini muffin tins like this below with mini cupcake liners
• You can use regular sized muffin tins but you would need to use regular sized Nilla Wafers and cupcake liners then. However, I do not recommend making these with regular sized cookies or cupcake tins though, as the cookies do not completely fill the bottom of the cupcake tin and the cheesecake filling spills out over the cookie in the cupcake liner

Frequently Asked Questions

Cheesecakes are one of those recipes that can be challenging to make if you are not familiar with the basics before getting started. Because I’ve been enjoying these mini cheesecakes now for over 30 years, I would like to bestow upon you my tips and tricks so you can achieve the best mini cheesecakes ever!

Can you make mini cheesecakes ahead of time?

Yes, in fact these mini cheesecakes must be made a head of time in order for them to chill to the right serving temperature. As noted above, once these cheesecakes are removed from the oven, you need to refrigerate them, ideally overnight. The entire cheesecake must be cold throughout. A warm cheesecake not only tastes awful, it will also lose it shape and not look as appealing to guests.

How do you transport mini cheesecakes?

The best and easiest way to transport mini cheesecakes is in a Pyrex travel ___ with a cooling icepack. These cheesecakes need to stay cold.

How long can you store them in the refrigerator?

If by some weird chance your cheesecakes are not all gone in the first five minutes of setting them out (haha), you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after baking.

Can you freeze them?

Yes, you can freeze mini cheesecakes in the freezer, however, you will want to ensure that they are in an air-tight container and no frost is able to form on the cheesecakes themselves. When ready to use, place in the refrigerator overnight to allow them to defrost.

Do you bake mini cheesecakes in the oven?

Yes, it may sound surprising to bake cheesecake, but yes, cheesecake is baked in the oven. For these mini cheesecakes, you bake them at 350°F for 15-20 minutes – setting your timer at 15 minutes, checking the cheesecakes, and then adding 1 minute increments until cooked all of the way through.

How do you know when cheesecake is baked enough?

You can tell when the cheesecake is baked enough if you take it out of the oven and give the pan a swift little jiggle. If the cheesecake filling wiggles around then it needs to bake for a longer period of time. If additional time is needed, only bake at 1 minute increments and check again. You don’t want to overcook the cheesecakes.

Do you have to use cupcake liners?

Yes, cupcake liners are a must for these mini cheesecakes. The reason being is because it allows you to remove the mini cheesecakes from the baking pan. This also allows you to transport them. If this were a large cheesecake, you would use a springform pan to bake the cheesecake and then release the pan springs to lift it off and away from the cheesecake. But because these are tiny and baked in cupcake pans, you must use cupcake liners.

Does egg yolk color change the color of cheesecake?

Yes! The lightness or darkness of your egg yolks will definitely affect the color of your baked cheesecake. For instance, I now use backyard chicken eggs since we got chicks. Some of our chickens lay much darker yellow/orange yolks than some of the others. Often times, farm-fresh eggs are also darker in color than store-bought eggs. It really boils down to the breed of chicken and their diet. If you’re wanting a more white-colored cheesecake, crack each egg in a separate bowl and choose the ones that are lighter/more light yellow in color to use.

What goes with mini cheesecakes?

Cheesecakes are one of those versatile desserts that can be paired with a lot of different things. Any kind of chocolate dessert, like these German Chocolate Cake Balls or a fruit dessert like Store Bought Angel Food Cake with Cool Whip and Berries or Flag Fruit Pie go great with cheesecake. In addition to other desserts, cheesecake pairs great with a warm cup of Praline Coffee or Toffee, Pecan, Caramel Coffee or even a simple Americano! (check out my recipe for How To Make An Americano Coffee in Italy)

Ingredients

How to make mini cheesecakes

The process is very easy!

In a bowl, cream together with an electric mixer Philadelphia cream cheese, eggs, sugar vanilla and lemon juice

Line mini cupcake pan with cupcake liners, place one mini Nilla Wafer cookie in each pan slot. Fill 2/3 of the way with cream cheese filling. Bake in oven at 350F fro 15-20 minutes. Top with one cherry from cherry pie filling and refrigerate overnight

These are amazing! I promise! I dare you to try not to eat all of them in one sitting! The rich brea, cheese, the sweet cherry and the Nilla Wafer crust make these so irresistibly good that it is hard to stop popping these little pieces of heaven in your mouth!

Recipe

I would love for you to try this recipe and let me know what you think about it!! I would also greatly appreciate it if you would PIN and share this recipe!!!