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Mini peanut butter cheesecakes are easy to make in a muffin pan and only 7 ingredients! This cheesecake recipe calls for a 2 ingredient crust and 5 ingredient cheesecake filling. Substitute oreo crumbs for a reese’s cheesecake!
Tools to Make Mini Cheesecakes
- standard size muffin pan
- paper muffin / cupcake liners
Making individual cheesecakes in a muffin pan is a great way to scale down a regular cheesecake recipe. Mini cheesecakes don’t require a water bath or any special tools, plus they bake faster than regular cheesecake.
Ingredients
Our mini peanut butter cheesecakes only calls for 5 ingredients!
- cream cheese: use two 8 oz packages. Be sure to use full fat, not low fat, cream cheese for best results
- creamy peanut butter: this is where the peanut butter flavors comes from
- granulated sugar: helps to balance the tanginess of the cream cheese
- vanilla extract: just a teaspoon, but it enhances the classic cheesecake flavor
- eggs: eggs are the last ingredient that get mixed into the cheesecake batter. Be sure to mix them in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles and cracking
Cheesecake Crust Ingredients
- graham cracker crumbs: the bulk of the crust or you can substitute oreo crumbs
- butter: binds the crumbs together
How to Make Mini Cheesecakes in a Muffin Pan
- Line the muffin pan with paper liners.
- Place about 2 tbsp of the crust in the bottom of each liner. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust down.
- Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes.
- Mix the cheesecake batter ingredients together.
- Divide the cheesecake batter evenly among the muffin liners.
- Bake until the center of the cheesecake only slightly jiggles when you shake the muffin pan.
Total Time Required
- 4 minutes to prep the crust
- 5 minutes to pre-bake the crust
- 5 minutes to prep the cheesecake
- 15-17 minutes to bake cheesecake
- at least 4 hours to refrigerate the cheesecake before serving. I prefer to refrigerate mine overnight.
How to Tell When Mini Cheesecakes are Done Baking
The best way to tell when the mini peanut butter cheesecakes are done is the jiggle test. The center of the cheesecake should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan and the edges of the cheesecake will be slightly more puffy or airy.
How to Cool Mini Cheesecakes
Once the cheesecakes are done baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it on the counter until the cheesecakes have cooled to room temperature. Then loosely cover the muffin pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to chill.
Why Did my Mini Cheesecakes Sink?
Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles in cheesecake. Air bubbles cause the cheesecakes to sink in the middle as they cool.
Be sure to mix the eggs in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Once all the eggs have been added to the cheesecake batter, beat for only 30-60 seconds, until the eggs are fully incorporated.
How to Freeze Mini Cheesecakes
- Cool the cheesecakes completely before freezing.
- Place the mini cheesecakes, without any garnishes, on a baking sheet, uncovered, and place in the freezer until frozen – this is a “flash” freeze.
- Once frozen, wrap each cheesecake 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 overnight.
- Before serving add your desired toppings.
Tips
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before beating it. Room temperature cream cheese is easier to whip.
- The eggs are the last ingredient that get mixed into the cheesecake batter. Be sure to mix them in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles and cracking
- Thoroughly chill the mini cheesecakes in the fridge before serving.
More Cheesecake Recipes
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Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
Cheesecake
- 2 packages full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature, 8 oz packages
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy whipped cream
Instructions
CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a regular sized muffin pan with paper muffin liners. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until it resembles coarse sand. Put 1-2 tbsp of crumbs in each muffin cup. Use a 1/3 cup (or similar) to press the crumbs down firmly into the pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool while prepping the cheesecake.
CHEESECAKE
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Beat in vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, until smooth. The eggs are the last ingredient that get mixed into the cheesecake batter. Be sure to mix them in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles and cracking.
- Evenly divide the cheesecake batter among the muffin cups, filling the liners full. Bake for 15-17 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.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 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. Spoon ganache onto each cheesecake and top with chocolate shavings.
I made these mini cheesecakes and they were a hit. The recipe was super easy and I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. The cheesecake was light and fluffy. I used graham crackers. These were all gone before any other dessert I made. Thank you for sharing you recipe with me.