These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites make an awesome dessert!
Combine two classics into one irresistible bite-size dessert! Pumpkin and cheesecake were meant to go together and will be the star of your holiday dessert table!
Mini-Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Salted-Caramel Crunch Topping
Ok, if there are two flavors I love, it’s pumpkin and cheesecake. So why not put them together?
If you love pumpkin (like me!), be sure to check out these other delicious pumpkin dessert ideas!
Back to the pumpkin cheesecake bites…these mini pumpkin cheesecakes are adorable! Plus, they are easy to make and a fabulous finger food for any get-together.
Have you ever noticed that the small, cute apps and desserts are the ones that disappear the fastest?
When they are mini, they are even more appealing to the eye, and it’s easy to talk yourself into eating a few because they are mini! (so fewer calories, right?) 🙂
A Delicious & Festive Mini Dessert
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites are bite-sized, creamy, and can be made ahead of time (my favorite). They an easy alternative to pumpkin pie, and the only tool you need is a food processor.
Honestly, you don’t even need a food processor – it just significantly reduces your prep time.
Plus, these mini pumpkin cheesecakes have a great ratio of pumpkin to cheesecake!
Have you ever had a pumpkin cheesecake that was all pumpkin? Or how about all cheesecake and you couldn’t even taste the pumpkin? Not a problem here!
They’re ridiculously soft and creamy…I mean ridiculously.
Then there’s the buttery graham cracker crust for the bottom – oh my, so good!
And finally, don’t forget about the homemade whipped cream on top. I have decided that I love homemade whipped cream so much more than I enjoy store-bought versions.
It’s crazy easy to make, and it tastes so much better!
These pumpkin cheesecake bites are seriously perfect for any gathering, especially during the holidays!
Side Note: one thing I strive for in recipes is that they can be easily adapted to accommodate food allergies. My healthy apple crisp is a great example of this.
The mini pumpkin cheesecakes can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers in the crust. Bonus!
Want to add a little variety to them? Try drizzling them with some white or dark chocolate.
As I think about and describe these for you, I’m getting even more excited for the holidays so I can make a batch!
Add a Little Topping to Make Your Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Really Pop!
These little mini-pumpkin cheesecakes are a crowd favorite because they look almost as good as they taste! For a little extra “sparkle,” top each cheesecake with some pre-made salted-caramel crunch.
You can also top with your favorite caramel sauce or some chopped nuts before serving. For a more minimalist approach, simply sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon on top of the whipped cream.
You can get all fancy and pipe the whipped cream for that fancy look if you want, or you can do what I usually do which is just to use a spoon to plop add some whipped cream to your mini pumpkin cheesecake!
Seriously, it tastes the same whether it’s fancy-looking or not 🙂
If you need a mini muffin tin to make these, I love this one because the non-stick coating is a patented silicone coating which is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free. That means that it provides quick and easy release of all baked-goods and minimal easy cleanup while being safe!
Do yourself and your guests a favor..make these this year! They taste absolutely irresistible!
Be Sure to Check Out These Popular Posts:
15 Non-Traditional Thanksgiving (or any holiday) Side Dishes
Delicious and Filling Fruity Baked Oatmeal
- 8 oz. package cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies approximately 25-30 cookies
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp real maple syrup
- In a large glass bowl, blend 1 pint of heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract with a hand or immersion blender until it doubles in size and changes texture. Then, drizzle maple syrup into the bowl and continue blending until the mixture is light and fluffy. Set aside or place in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24-cup mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Put cookies in a large heavy-duty freezer bag and cover with a towel. Pound bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin until cookies are uniformly crushed into very small pieces. (This can also be done in a food processor).
- Transferred crushed cookies to a glass bowl and add melted butter. Stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.
- Divide cookie crumb mixture into 24 equal parts and press into the bottom of each muffin cup firmly with your fingers to form a crust. Bake in preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt with a hand-held mixer. Add pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt to cream cheese mixture and continue beating until combined.
- Open egg in a separate bowl before adding to the cream cheese mixture. Then blend in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Continue blending until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.
- Evenly divide pumpkin cream cheese mixture between the 24 muffin-tin cups, placing on top of the pre-baked cookie crust. Fill each cup slightly higher than the edge of the pan.
- Place muffin tin on center rack of oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the pumpkin mixture has set.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before removing mini-cheesecakes from tin. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
- To serve, top with whipped cream and salted-caramel crunch or your favorite caramel sauce. If using homemade whipped cream, spoon it into a plastic sandwich bag and cut a small corner off one bottom side. Pipe onto individual mini-cheesecakes for greater control.
Note: Add a little more melted butter to hold cookie crumb mixture together, if necessary. However, do not add too much or the butter will compete with the flavor of the gingersnap crust.