Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes
Why is it that something fairly normal turns amazing when converted to miniature form?
Take these cheesecakes for instance: you may look at the recipe and think that the cheesecake batter is fairly average as far as cheesecake batter goes, and yes, the raspberry jam adds a great sweet tartness, but overall, it’s just a simple raspberry cheesecake, right?
Oh, let me beg to differ! Thanks to the buttery, crunchy shortbread cookie stuffed in the bottom of the muffin liners, these cheesecakes have a delicious ratio of cake to crust and because they are small, the cheesecake texture and creaminess really shines with each bite.
The raspberry glaze (and pocket of raspberry jam inside each cheesecake) adds a great contrast to the smooth cheesecake.
A snap to put together, thanks to the no-hassle crust, these cheesecakes are perfect for a simple dessert, an appetizer spread or for a delicious snack.
It probably doesn’t bear mentioning that my kids, who happen to love anything that is mini and comes in a muffin liner, went crazy for these miniature cheesecakes. (Uh, incidentally, so did their mom and dad….)
Interested in more cheesecake-ish options? Here you go. Perhaps I could do something about mini-sizing some of these other delicious cheesecake recipes.
One Year Ago: Perfect Lemon Cake
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Mint Brownies
Ingredients
- 12 round shortbread cookies, 2 inches in diameter (the Keebler Brand Sandies work great)
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- fresh raspberries for garnish, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place one cookie in the bottom of each of the liners. Dollop with 1 teaspoon jam each.
- With an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer), beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes more.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake until they are set, about 20 minutes (the centers may seem a bit jiggly but the outer edges should feel firm to the touch). Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. The muffin liners will shrink away from the sides of the tin as they cool. Refrigerate the muffin pan (with the liners still in the pan) until the cheesecakes are cool and set, about 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin. Microwave the remaining jam until slightly thinned, about 30 seconds and use it to glaze the cheesecakes. Garnish the top of each cheesecake with a fresh raspberry, if desired. Serve.
Recipe Source: from Cook’s Country April/May 2010
Just made them and love the recipe. I bloopered and poured in the whole can of condensed milk, thought things looked a bit too runny, so I read the recipe, poured the liquid down the sink, and tried again after a trip to the grocery store. I got 14. My round cookies were too big (Canadian- I bought PC brand), but I just cut them into fraction pieces and fit them into the bottom of the muffin cup and it worked dandily.
Turned out great!
I just tried these (followed instructions exactly, used Keebler brand sandies) and the cookies AND the bottom layer of jam both floated to the top. They don’t look very nice. This is the only time a Cook’s Illustrated recipe hasn’t worked for me! I wonder if their testing criteria is slipping?
I made these today. They are beyond delicious and I have this mini cheesecake recipe filed in my favorites. My husband could not believe how yummy they tasted. So easy to put together and yet what a “wow” factor they bring to the table.
I just made these for the dessert portion of my friends birthday party. They were so delicious and unbelievably easy to make. I can see allot of variations in the future, and I thank you for the recipe!
Robin – I have frozen the mini cheesecakes before. I have only frozen them before I put the jam on them – I take them out and let them defrost before putting the filling on.
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We had these for new years eve dessert and they were wonderful! Perfect for kids and grown ups (hello portion control!)
I did not have any raspberries so we used chocolate chips in a few and candy cane hershey’s kisses in some, both were yummy.
Wondering if anyone has had success freezing these? Thought it would be nice to freeze leftovers and enjoy for Valentine’s day or some other day for a treat.
Mel – totally making these for Father’s Day! Also doing the cordon bleu the easy way. Thanks for being my go-to girl!
I used the Keebler plain shortbread sandies and still had the floating to the top problem. I think that my batter was too thin to hold the cookie down. i have made a similar recipe and used vanilla wafers with no problems, but i think the Sandies taste better.
Hi Mel, I’m new to your site and I’m enjoying all the recipes. I tried this one and had the same issue as some of the other readers with the cookies floating to the top. It may have been the type of cookie I used, I couldn’t use the Keebler Sandies since I’m allergie to pecans. Are there any other shortbread cookies you’d recommend?
Tiffany – it sounds like you are on to something with the brand of cookies. The recipe is from Cooks’ Country – they test their recipes a lot before using and they recommended the Keebler’s brand of sandies. I’ve seen a Keebler brand of shortbread cookies that are more like a butter cookie (no nuts) – those might work as well since they are from the same company.
I make kind of the same thing, but a little different and easier. I use ” Jello no bake Cherry Cheesecake”. Everything you need comes in the box (except the paper liners, butter, sugar, and milk). I looooove cheesecake, but it never sits very well in my stomach. The Jello cheesecake is so easy on my stomach and tastes so good. Whenever I go to parties everyone always wants me to bring the little cheesecake cups.
I just discovered your site today and I have been having a great time wandering through it looking at all of the great recipes. I am thinking of making these cheesecakes for my sons graduation party. I am wondering if I missed this somewhere in your instructions. Do they need to be kept in the refrigerator after they have set up until serving time? I will be making several dishes that need to be kept cool and it would be great if these could be stored at room temp after setting up. Also, how long can they be made ahead of time and still be perfect? Maybe 1 day before the event? Thank you.
Hi Gina – the recipe didn’t really stipulate how to keep them after they have set up. I think they would be fine at room temperature, but probably not for more than a couple of hours. Also, one day ahead of time would probably work ok (I tasted one of mine that was leftover after a day and it still tasted pretty good).
Thanks! Possibly it was because I added the sweetened milk all at once and not gradually per the recipe. I’m going to try again, because even though they looked funky, they were good:-)
I had been looking at this recipe for days and finally gathered the ingredients and made them today. Half of the cookies wound up on top of the cheesecakes. What can be done to make sure they stay on the bottom? Any suggestions?
Nan – I’m not sure why that would have happened. The batter should be thick enough to kind of hold the cookies down while baking. I’m sorry I’m not more help since I didn’t have this same issue. The only reason I can think that the cookies may have floated is because the batter was too thin…but if you followed the recipe exactly I’m not sure what would have caused it!
I made these tonight for guests and they were a big hit! It was so easy to double the batch and make a dozen to give away. I loved how they firmed up after chilling so that they came out of the cupcake wrapper as a perfect individual cheesecake. I didn’t have raspberry preserves, but I did have some frozen raspberries that I pureed and spooned over the top. They looked great, tasted fantastic, and couldn’t have been easier. As always, a great recipe Mel. You never fail me!
Reyna – look at you, improvising on the raspberry syrup! I’m impressed by the adaptation and am so glad these turned out well. Thanks for letting me know!
Tracy – I’m sorry your liners had sticking issues. Do you think the cheesecakes could have been overbaked and that could have caused the sticking? I’m glad they tasted ok, but wish the liners hadn’t been so sticky!
I made these and they looked and tasted great. But I had a problem with the paper liners sticking to the bottoms of the cookies – anyone else have this problem?
Jordan – I’m so glad both of the recipes were a hit. I love to hear that! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Stephanie – hmmm…I’m not sure why the batter would be so runny, to be honest. I’m glad they tasted good but that’s too bad that they didn’t puff up quite as well.
When I made these the batter was very runny..more than I expected. In some the cookie & jam floated up while baking, and the cheesecake shrunk more than in your pictures. Did I beat the cream cheese too long? That’s all I can think of. They still taste good thou! Just not as pretty as yours! Happy easter!
The problem is not with the batter but with the science. A traditional cheesecake is made with a crumb crust that is pressed down to completely and firmly cover the surface. Unless the cookie makes an airtight seal all the way across the diameter of the cup, batter will leak down the sides and underneath. Then the cookie might rise up. Mine did—the shortbread came halfway up each cup. I am going to have to make another batch using a traditional crumb crust.
Made this and the tri-colored pasta for our easter party today and….both were a huge hit! I should have doubled the cheesecake recipe cuz everybody wanted more!!! I wasn’t sure how the cookies where going to turn out for the crust because i love me a graham cracker crust, but they were delicious! Thanks!!!
The mini ones do taste the best!!
Since I am apparently attempting to match (or beat) my weight gain from my last pregnancy, I’ll go ahead & give these a shot! (P.S. My last pregnancy was twins… yeah… I’ve gone a little overboard)
i think using cookies as a crust is a stroke of genius–that saves plenty of effort right there! the dollop of gorgeous raspberry is my favorite part of these–they’re terrific, melanie! happy easter!
Sorry I meant “last” two weeks of pregnancy! …
Yes!!!! My least two weeks of pregnancy and I have craved cheesecake the last two days. My hubby has offered many different options for me, but as much as I am craving cheesecake, no option has sounded apealing. Now…. This recipe! Sounds so simple and good and able to hit the spot! Hubby is making them for me today while I go to the chiropractor. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!!!!
And BTW so glad you got your Wolfgang mill, isn’t it awesome!! So happy you did. You will have to let me know how you like it and what deliciousness you prepare with it.
This is perfect for Easter!!!! thank you for the awesome idea. I’ve been looking for a way to use my Easter-themed cupcake liners that I bought “because they were cute!”
I love this idea – I do a similar thing with oreos as the base! Yum!
Love this! I just recently discovered the magic of making cheesecake with cream cheese & sweetened condensed milk — it’s amazing!! 🙂 Can’t wait to try it in mini form!! Also, I think I will try this with a chocolate cookie on the bottom (reminds me of my favorite dessert from Olive Garden – their white chocolate raspberry cheesecake…yummmmmmm) Thanks again for sharing such wonderful ideas and recipes!! 😀
Just in time for easter potluck. Perfect! Thanks again for always providing great ideas and the means to carry them out.
Yummm, these sound delicious. I also like how you could switch out the flavour by just using a different kind of jam, because I am not a raspberry fan. I’d like to try them with blueberry.
It is SO true about the mini “thing”! I especially LOVE mini cheesecakes, and I make them in the mini cheesecake pan that I purchased from Williams- Sonoma. Although the cheesecakes are adorable, it is a lot of work for 12 mini cheesecakes.
Your idea of muffin cups (and liners) is fabulous, and no clean up! I can’t wait to try it (perhaps for my party next weekend)!
Also, I have used lots of different types of cookies for the crust (because I’m too lazy to make a graham cracker crust to put in each individual cup!). Oreos, lemon wafers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps (especially good with pumpkin cheesecake) all work great. I’ve never used a shortbread, but I bet it is fabulous!
Thanks for sharing yet another amazing recipe and idea, Mel!