If you’re looking for the perfect dessert, here’s one marvelous little treat. Creamy and luscious, these divine little cheesecakes might be the easiest, most scrumptious bite you’ll have all year!
Making a classic cheesecake requires some pre-planning plus a chill overnight before you can dig in and enjoy them. Though we love the classic dessert there are days we just don’t have the time nor the patience to whip one up. And this is a delicious alternative. It’s a simple technique that takes a basic recipe for cheesecake and creates individual servings quickly and easily using all the familiar ingredients – cream cheese mixed with sugar and whole eggs for added richness, plus pure vanilla, and almond extracts swirled throughout.
Scoop the cream cheese filling on top of a vanilla wafer that once baked will serve as the crust. Finish the cheesecakes with a dreamy sour cream topping.
This is a great option to a traditional cheesecake and one that is ideal for easy entertaining. Cheesecake Cupcakes can be made on short notice or whipped up in advance because they keep for days in your refrigerator. One other bonus – you can serve them warm from the oven.
It’s one of our favorite “go to” desserts!
Cheesecake Cupcakes
For the cheesecakes:
3 packages cream cheese, 8 ounces each, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1-½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
24 vanilla wafers
For the topping:
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and smooth, stopping as needed to scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl.
Slowly beat in the sugar, mixing well on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, blending in on low speed, mixing in completely after each one. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts on low speed.
Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl to make certain the cream cheese is well blended into the batter. Line two dozen muffin cups with sturdy paper liners and place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each liner. Divide the batter between each cup, filling about ¾ full – a large ice cream scoop makes quick work of this task. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 minutes.
While the cheesecakes are baking stir together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
After 25 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecakes from the oven – they will collapse slightly. Top each with about a tablespoon of the sour cream topping. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional five minutes. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the pans to set up slightly, then remove them from the tins and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. To store, place the cheesecakes in a sealed container and keep refrigerated.
Makes 24 cheesecake cupcakes.
Cheesecake Cupcakes
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Standard size muffin pans, paper liners
Ingredients
- For the cheesecake:
- 3 packages cream cheese, 8 ounces each, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1-½ teaspoon teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 24 vanilla wafers
- For the topping:
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven(s) to 325-degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and smooth, stopping as needed to scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Slowly beat in the sugar, mixing well on medium speed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, blending in on low speed, mixing in completely after each one. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts on low speed.
- Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl to make certain the cream cheese is well blended into the batter.
- Line two dozen muffin cups with sturdy paper liners and place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each liner. Divide the batter between each cup, filling about ¾ full – a large ice cream scoop makes quick work of this task. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 minutes.
- While the cheesecakes are baking stir together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- After 25 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecakes from the oven – they will collapse slightly. Top each with about a tablespoon of the sour cream topping. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional five minutes.
- Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the pans to set up slightly, then remove them from the tins and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. To store, place the cheesecakes in a sealed container and keep refrigerated.
