MINI CARROT CHEESECAKES
Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes made in a muffin pan are easy to make and are the perfect Easter cheesecake to serve for a crowd! These carrot cake cheesecake cupcakes have a graham cracker crust and a creamy carrot and spice cheesecake filling. 30 minutes total to prep and bake, then chill in the fridge until serving.
Author: Thefirstyearblog/Photo credit to thefirstyearblog.com
Ingredients
- CRUST
- 10 graham crackers (1 & ½ cups graham cracker crumbs)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- CHEESECAKE
- 2 packages full cat cream cheese, 8 oz each, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup finely shredded carrots
- 2 eggs
- OPTIONAL GARNISH
- whipped cream
- orange and green frosting for carrot
Instructions
- CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Line a regular sized muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until it resembles coarse sand.
- Put 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of graham cracker crumbs in each muffin cup.
- Use a ⅓ 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 and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, spices and shredded carrots.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Place a little more than 2 tbsp of cheesecake batter in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 18-21 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.
- To garnish: Place whipped cream in a piping bag fit with a wilton 1M piping tip, pipe whipped cream swirls on each of each cheesecake. Use a small amount of frosting (colored with orange and green food coloring) to draw mini carrots on top of the whipped cream.
