I just love little desserts! Not only do you have portion control, you get to eat it all to yourself! These Mini Cherry Cheesecakes (with Oreo crust) are individual cheesecakes, baked in muffin tins, quick and easy to make, with cherry pie filling and an easy Oreo cookie crust.
They are a great party food because they are a fun dessert and the perfect size, making them the ideal individual dessert and finger food dessert for bake sales, baby showers, game day, potlucks, Canada Day, Mother's day, New Year's eve or any special occasion!
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Love mini desserts!? Be sure to check out my Raspberry Tiramisu Tarts and my Chocolate Avocado Mousse & Strawberry Mini Desserts
I first time I had these mini cherry cheesecakes was when my Auntie Sue brought the original recipe to my niece's baby shower. They are the ideal baby shower food, especially if you're looking for something easy, that everyone will love! That was about 15 years ago and I finally got around to asking her for the recipe!
We also enjoyed them as part of our finger food New Year's Eve buffet this year.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Oreo baking crumbs. If you are having trouble finding Oreo baking crumbs, you can use any brand of chocolate baking crumbs.
- Butter. I use unsalted butter, as I like to control the salt in my baking.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest. Balance the sweetness of this cheesecake.
- Canned cherry pie filling. I use this because it's easy and economical.
*see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations
- Topping: You can even mix it up and use any pie topping or filling you so desire. One of my personal favorites is my Saskatoon berry pie filling. However, I did see canned Saskatoon berry pie filling at my local Co op, so if I was in a hurry, I'd just buy it.You could use canned apple pie filling as well. I simply use the cherry pie filling for the cherry topping because it's quicker and easier to find (and oh so delicious!) You could also use a homemade cherry pie filling or homemade apple pie filling or homemade apple cinnamon topping. Lastly, you could use fresh berries or any fresh fruit you prefer, as a topping.
- Crust: You can make these mini cheesecakes with a classic graham cracker crust, but I prefer to use an Oreo graham cracker crumbs to make the crust. You can crush up chocolate graham crackers or simply buy Oreo cookie baking crumbs. You could also use Oreo cookies in a pinch!
- Cupcake liners: The great thing about this mini dessert is that it's not only easy to make, you can dress it up for a baby shower by using fancier paper liners, like these pretty Damask Cupcake/Muffin liners (affiliate link) I used in the photos, or simply use a regular liner or foil tart liner. You can even bake it in a plain muffin liner, then move it to nicer paper cupcake liners after it's cooked.
Chocolate and cherry are simply a match made in heaven, especially when you add a creamy cheesecake filling to the mix! And chocolate just makes everything better...
🔪 How to Make Mini Cherry Cheesecake
- Heat oven to 375 F/190 C. Line muffin pan with paper cupcake/muffin cups or foil tart liners. Mix Oreo/chocolate baking crumbs with melted butter in a bowl (you do not need a food processor). Place mixture in the bottom of each cupcake wrapper, patting down, dividing evenly between all 18.
- In a large bowl, beat the rest of the ingredients together (EXCEPT cherry pie filling) with an electric hand mixer, on medium-low speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute until fluffy. Spoon cream cheese mixture into paper muffin/cupcake liners on top of base/crust to ⅔ full (dividing between all 18.)
⏲️ Baking time
- Bake mini cheesecakes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.
- Cool for about 10 minutes.
- When cool, add cherry pie filling to the top of the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your eggs and cream cheese are at room temperature. This will ensure you get a lump-free cheesecake batter that you don't have to overmix to acheive a homogenious and smooth batter!
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can ruin the structure and texture of your cheesecake and lead to cracks and a grainy texture.
- Don't mix on high speed. Mix on medium -low or low. Mixing on high speed adds too much air, which can also cause your cheesecake to crack.
- Cool before adding topping. If you add topping before your cheesecake is cooled it will run.
👪 Serving size
This recipe for mini cherry cheesecakes makes 18 little cheesecakes. You can half, double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the servings number in the recipe card and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient amounts will then adjust accordingly.
🌡️Storing
- Fridge: Leftover cheesecakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months in a sealed container. But don't put the topping on the individual cheesecakes until they are completely defrosted, and just prior to serving.
For some reason, miniature cheesecake just feels more FUN than regular cheesecake. It's partly because finger food is way more fun than regular food! And that's probably because we're more likely to eat finger food at parties and celebrations. The best part of finger food desserts is that you can forego the fuss with plates and forks and just dig in!
❔Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely! These mini cheesecakes can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Add the topping just before serving for the best presentation
Ensure the crust is firmly pressed and that you let the cheesecakes cool completely before removing them from the liners. Using foil or parchment liners can help with easier removal.
Yes, you can use a mini muffin tin for bite-sized cheesecakes. Adjust the baking time to about 10-12 minutes and monitor closely.
If you are looking for mini baked cheesecakes, or mini cheesecake recipes, this mini cherry cheesecakes recipe is ideal because they are baked in a muffin tin with muffin liners. You don't need to purchase anything special to make them.
So whether you're going to a baby shower, a Super Bowl party, celebrating New Year's, Valentine's day or going to a backyard BBQ, if you're looking for a quick and easy dessert, these Mini Cherry Cheesecakes are the perfect dessert!
So if you're looking for Mini Oreo cheesecake cupcakes, you'll love these!
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📋 Mini Cherry Cheesecakes (with Oreo crust) recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups Oreo cookie baking crumbs
- 4 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 – 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese (2 cups) * I use light cream cheese (at room temperature)
Filling
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice * I used Realemon lemon juice from concentrate. If you use the juice from a real lemon, use 2 tbsps
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 540 ml can of cherry pie filling (About 18 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C. Line muffin tin with paper cupcake/muffin liners or foil tart liners.
- Mix Oreo baking crumbs with melted butter in a bowl.1 ½ cups Oreo cookie baking crumbs, 4 tablespoon butter, melted
- Place mixture in the bottom of each paper liner, patting down, dividing evenly between all 18.
- Cheesecake mixture: Beat the rest of the ingredients together with an electric hand mixer, on medium-low speed ( EXCEPT cherry pie filling) for about 45 seconds to 1 minute until fluffy.2 – 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese, ¾ cup white granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional), 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Spoon cheesecake batter into paper muffin/cupcake liners on top of base/crust to ⅔ full (dividing between all 18.)
- Bake cheesecake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.
- Cool for about 10 minutes. When cool, top with cherry pie filling.540 ml can of cherry pie filling
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your eggs and cream cheese are at room temperature. This will ensure you get a lump-free cheesecake batter that you don't have to overmix to acheive a homogenious and smooth batter.!
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can ruin the structure and texture of your cheesecake and lead to cracks and a grainy texture.
- Don't mix on high speed. Mix on medium -low or low. Mixing on high speed adds to much air, which can also cause your cheesecake to crack.
- Cool before adding topping. If you add topping before your cheesecake is cooled it will run.
-
- Fridge: Leftover cheesecakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
-
- Freezer: This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months in a sealed container. But don't put the topping on the individual cheesecakes until they are completely defrosted, and just prior to serving.
Terri Gilson
These Mini Cherry Cheesecakes are such a clever dessert idea! I love that they're individual portions and that delicious Oreo crust is out of this world. Ever since my Auntie Sue brought them to a baby shower years ago, they've been a hit at our family gatherings. The cherry and chocolate combo is just irresistible!