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Combine your love for cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies and make mini chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecakes! Use chocolate chip cookie dough for the cheesecake crust and add mini chocolate chips to the cheesecake batter. This is an easy to make chocolate chip cheesecake recipe in a muffin pan.
We took a whole reese’s peanut butter cup and used it as the “crust” for these mini cheesecakes so it only seemed right to figure out how to use store bought cookie dough for a mini cheesecake crust next!
And spoiler alert, it’s GOOD!
Making individual cheesecakes in a muffin pan is an awesome way to get all of that delicious cheesecake flavor without the time commitment and water bath that larger cheesecakes require.
Plus when you make mini cheesecakes you don’t have to worry about your cheesecake cracking – thumbs up!!
You’ll need a standard size muffin tin and muffin liners (the paper) kind.
How to make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan
- Line the muffin pan with paper liners. Then place about 2 tbsp of store bought cookie dough in the bottom of each liner. Be sure to press it flat. Then pre-bake the cookie dough.
- Once the cookie dough crust is pre-baked use the back of a tablespoon to press the cookie down, creating a dip.
- Then fill each liner full with cheesecake batter and top with more mini chocolate chips before baking.
How long does it take to make mini cheesecakes?
The time breakdown is 5 minutes to prep the cheesecake, 8 minutes to pre-bake the crust, 20 minutes to bake cheesecake, then at least 4 hours to refrigerate the cheesecake before serving. I prefer to refrigerate mine overnight.
Waiting is the hardest part, right?!
How to freeze mini cheesecakes
Freeze the mini cheesecakes on a baking sheet, uncovered until frozen. Once frozen, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them inside a ziplock bag in the freezer. They can be frozen for 4 months. To thaw, place them in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
Tips for making mini cookie dough cheesecakes
- Use room temperature cream cheese because it whips more smoothly, meaning no lumps! So pull that cream cheese out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for at least 1 hour.
- It’s okay if your cheesecake falls in the center once they cool – you can use that to your advantage and fill it with chocolate ganache or whipped cream!
- Use mini chocolate chips! Mini cheesecakes are well, already mini, so using mini chocolate chips makes sure the chocolate chunks aren’t too big.
Cheesecake Garnishes
Ya’ll know I love garnishes! You don’t have to top your cheesecakes with anything, because after all there is a cookie crust and a chocolate chip studded cheesecake. But if you’re wanting to add something on top, I suggest a dollop of chocolate ganache, cool whip / whipped cream or chocolate whipped cream.
To make them extra fancy, get a cup a mini chips ahoy cookies at the grocery store, and add one to each cheesecake!
More cheesecake recipes
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Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecakes
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 container chocolate chip cookie dough, 16.5 oz or 12 bake and break cookie dough pieces
CHEESECAKE
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 pint
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Mini chips ahoy cookies, for topping
CHOCOLATE GANACHE (optional)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a regular sized muffin pan with paper muffin liners. Place about 2 tbsp of cookie dough in the bottom of each liner, pressing it down to cover the bottom. Place the pan in the oven and pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Use the back of a tablespoon to push the cookie down, creating a dip. Set aside.
CHEESECAKE
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Beat in vanilla extract and eggs until smooth. Mix in the mini chocolate chips.
- Evenly divide the cheesecake batter among the muffin cups, filling the liners full.
- Bake for 19-20 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is only slightly jiggly.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool to room temperature then place them in the fridge for at least 4 hours to chill before serving. If refrigerating overnight, loosely cover the cheesecakes in plastic wrap.
Whipped Cream
- Place a metal mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the metal mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar and beat with an electric mixer. Continue to beat until the whipping cream has stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes.
Assemble
- Use a piping bag fit with a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe whipped cream onto each cheesecake. Top with a mini chips ahoy cookie, a cookie dough bite, and cookie crumbles.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE (optional)
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. In a small pot over low heat, heat the heavy cream until just before boiling. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to stand for 1-2 minutes. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature before adding it to the cheesecake. If the ganache is too runny, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes, then add it to the cheesecakes.
Thank you very much for the recipe for this yummy, the children were just thrilled and ask for more