Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Minis

These adorable “portion perfect” Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Minis will be just the ticket to end your meal on a sweet note without blowing your entire diet!  Fresh raspberry sauce is marbled through the decadent and creamy cheesecake, which tops off a crunchy, chocolate cookie crust.  How sweet it is! 

Click for Printable Recipe

Ingredients: (for 1 dozen)

Crust - 

• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs 
• about 13 chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp melted butter

Raspberry Sauce - 

• 6 oz (a slightly rounded cup) fresh raspberries
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch

Filling -

• 2 (8oz) blocks of full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• I like the clear, Mexican vanilla the best 
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature

Step-by-Step:
Begin by taking out all of your cold filling ingredients so they can come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 300 F.  Prepare your pan(s).

I have read that using the metallic cupcake liners can make your food take "metallic," but you may want to add them on the outside of the paper ones as sort of a double layer.  I used paper liners.  The butter in the crust, once cooled, can make the papers stick to the pan a bit.  If this happens, you can set the bottom of the pan in some warm water for a couple of minutes.  But the foil (outer wrapper) should prevent the butter from seeping through.  So this is my recommendation.  Just a thought.

Crust -
In a food processor, mix all ingredients until they resemble wet sand... umm.. dirt.  Haha! 

13 chocolate sandwich cookies

 These are the crumbs that we want.

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

5 Tbsp melted butter

 Looks like a mud pie, huh?  LOL

Press 1 Tbsp of the cookie crust into each cupcake liner that you have set into standard muffin pan.  Press the crust down with your fingers. 

1 Tbsp wet cookie crust

 

Cover the entire pan and place in the refrigerator to harden. 

Raspberry sauce - 

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, and heat until bubbling. 

1 cup fresh raspberries

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp corn starch

 

Break down the raspberries by mashing them.  I used my potato masher for this.  

Remove from heat when thicken.  Transfer to a glass container and cool in the refrigerator until needed. 

Filling - Mix all room temperature ingredients in a stand mixer, on low.  You don't want to mix on high because it will put too much air into the batter. 

2 (8oz) blocks full fat cream cheese - room temperature.

You want to break down the cream cheese before adding anything else.

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla.  I am using clear Mexican vanilla.

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the cupcake papers.  I found the cupcake scoop to be the perfect amount of batter. 

Next, add three "drops" of the cooled raspberry sauce on top of the filled cheesecake batter.  I used a baby spoon for this. 

Use a chopstick or knife to swirl the raspberry sauce into the cheesecake batter.

Bake on 300 F for 18-22 minutes.  The center should still be a little bit "jiggly" and still slightly moist looking.  Remove and allow them to cool.  Tip - if you used a larger muffin tin and more batter, your minis may require a longer cooking time.

Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Tip - to release the papers from the pan after chilling overnight, you may find that they stick down.  The paper liner allow the melted butter to bleed a little, and with chilling, the butter can tend to stick to the pan.  If this happens, set the whole pan in a larger pan (or sink) of warm water for a few minutes to warm that butter up again.  Another alternative would be to use an outer, foil liner.  I didn't want to bake the cheesecake in foil liners, as I have heard they impart a metallic taste (yuck).  But if you use an inner paper liner and an outer foil liner, this may help.

 

Garnish with fresh raspberries to serve. 

Enjoy this recipe?  

I hope so!  There are lots more where this came from.  Hop on over to my Recipe Index for tons of ideas of dishes that you can cook with/for your family!  And if you haven't done so already, you're going to want to Click Here to Subscribe to MenuMusings so you won't miss a thing!!

Order the Menu Musings Cookbook!

 

Also, Please be sure to visit my YouTube Channel for short video tutorials on selected videos.  Watch me explain the steps of the recipes in just a few minutes!  Just one more way that I'm giving you the tools to get in that kitchen!!! Aren't you curious?  Click and see how many there are!  :)

Here's just one delicious example -  Mahogany Glazed Chicken!  Yum!!

Here are a few "bonus" recipes for you:
Chili Roasted Edamame

Rosemary Black Pepper No-Knead Artisan Bread

Alice Springs Chicken

Roasted Green Beans

Carrot Souffle - Just Like a Piccadilly!

Apple Praline Bundt Cake

Written Method:
Begin by taking out all of your cold filling ingredients so they can come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 300 F.

Crust - In a food processor, mix all ingredients until they resemble wet sand... umm.. dirt.  Haha!  Press I Tbsp of the cookie crust into each cupcake liner that you have set into standard muffin pan.  Press the crust down with your fingers.  Cover the entire pan and place in the refrigerator to harden.

Raspberry sauce - Mix all ingredients in a cold saucepan, and heat until bubbling.  Break down the raspberries by mashing them.  I used my potato masher for this.  Remove from heat when thicken.  Transfer to a glass container and cool in the refrigerator until needed.

Filling - Mix all room temperature ingredients in a stand mixer, on low.  You don't want to mix on high because it will put too much air into the batter.  Using an ice cream scoop, fill the cupcake papers.  I found the cupcake scoop to be the perfect amount of batter.

Next, add three "drops" of the cooled raspberry sauce on top of the filled cheesecake batter.  I used a baby spoon for this.  Use a chopstick or knife to swirl the raspberry sauce into the cheesecake batter.

Bake - Bake on 300 F for 18-22 minutes.  The center should still be a little bit "jiggly" and still slightly moist looking.  Remove and allow them to cool.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.