These Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites are a fun holiday dessert for the Fall. A delicious graham cracker crust is loaded with a smooth and creamy pumpkin cheesecake layer. It’s a great alternative to traditional Pumpkin Pie!
LOOKING FOR MORE HOLIDAY DESSERTS? CHECK OUT OUR CHOCOLATE COCONUT BROWNIES, OUR EASY BREAD PUDDING OR OUR HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD LOAF.
It’s still in the 80’s here in the Midwest and we are still going to the pool every afternoon to beat the heat. But I know how time flies and that Fall will be just around the corner. Football season will start, our sweaters will make an appearance and pumpkin flavored dishes will start appearing everywhere.
This Time Of Year, Pumpkin Is King
Whether you flavor your muffin, your coffee or your beer with it, it seems like pumpkin is the most popular flavor of the Fall season. All of this, of course, stems from it’s most popular dessert: Pumpkin Pie. Come Thanksgiving, there won’t be a table in America that won’t have a pumpkin pie on it. It’s a staple, a tradition. And, no matter how stuffed your are, your going to have a piece.
While pumpkin pie has kept it’s place upon the hierarchy of holiday desserts, there are also some alternative holiday desserts like these Chocolate Bourbon Balls or these Santa Hat Cup Cakes for Christmas. But there are also some new pumpkin flavored desserts that have popped up as a fun alternative to tradition of pumpkin pie. For instance, these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites or our Easy Pumpkin Mouse recipes are great idea for your next holiday.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
The first reason that I love these is that are basically a combination of three wonderful things: Pumpkin Pie, Cheesecake and Cupcakes. And they smaller than a usual slice of Pumpkin Pie or Cheesecake. So, even if your stuffed from all of your turkey, stuffing and potatoes, eating these these small Pumpkin Cupcakes won’t put you over the edge. If you want just one, have just one. If you want two, grab and extra. If you want three?… Why not?!?!?
They are also a great holiday dessert to bring for office pitch-ins or potlucks. They look like cute little pumpkins on the table and people won’t be able to resist grabbing one! Also, they are much easier to share with a crowd than a traditional Pumpkin Pie.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Recipe
The recipe is super easy and it all starts with a two-ingredient crust!
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tbsp butter
For the filling:
- 12 oz. softened cream cheese (approx. 1 ½ blocks)
- 3 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
For the topping:
- 1-2 oz. green fondant
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Red gel food coloring
- Yellow gel food coloring
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Spray with cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and add to bowl of graham cracker crumbs. Mix until completely combined.
- Scoop 1 ½ tbsp of graham cracker crumb mixture into each lined muffin tin section. Pack down.
- Bake graham cracker crusts for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sour cream, sugar and egg. Mix on high speed until smooth.
- Fill each muffin tin section with cheesecake filling.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before decorating.
- Roll out 12-15 spheres from green fondant – about ½ an inch in size.
- Shape each sphere into cylinders, giving it a point at one end and then curving it slightly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together whipping cream, sugar, 5 drops red gel food coloring and 3 drops yellow gel food coloring on high speed.
- Beat until whipped cream forms.
- Scoop whipped cream into a piping bag with Wilton #23 tip attached and frost each cheescake.
- Top each mini cheesecake with green fondant – it will act as the pumpkin’s “stem.” Serve and enjoy!
As with making any cheesecake, it’s best to use room temperature cream cheese to make the final cheesecake as smooth and creamy as possible.
While I topped these with whipped cream, you can use other things as well. Drizzled caramel would be yummy or your could even make your own whipped cream! This recipe will yield 12-15 mini cheesecake bites! Enjoy!
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tbsp butter
For the filling:
- 12 oz. softened cream cheese approx. 1 ½ blocks
- 3 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
For the topping:
- 1-2 oz. green fondant
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Red gel food coloring
- Yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Spray with cooking spray.
-
Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and add to bowl of graham cracker crumbs. Mix until completely combined.
-
Scoop 1 ½ tbsp of graham cracker crumb mixture into each lined muffin tin section. Pack down.
-
Bake graham cracker crusts for 5 minutes.
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sour cream, sugar and egg. Mix on high speed until smooth.
-
Fill each muffin tin section with cheesecake filling.
-
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
-
Allow to cool on a wire rack before decorating.
-
Roll out 12-15 spheres from green fondant – about ½ an inch in size.
-
Shape each sphere into cylinders, giving it a point at one end and then curving it slightly. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together whipping cream, sugar, 5 drops red gel food coloring and 3 drops yellow gel food coloring on high speed.
-
Beat until whipped cream forms.
-
Scoop whipped cream into a piping bag with Wilton #23 tip attached and frost each cheescake.
-
Top each mini cheesecake with green fondant – it will act as the pumpkin’s “stem.” Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
As with making any cheesecake, it’s best to use room temperature cream cheese to make the final cheesecake as smooth and creamy as possible.
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