Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Total Time

Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min. + cooling

Makes

12 servings

Updated: Jun. 30, 2023
These little cheesecakes make a fun dessert that's just right for cooks who don't have a lot of time for fussy recipes. Plus, you get to eat a whole mini cheesecake yourself! —Kay Keller, Morenci, Michigan
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1 cup crushed vanilla wafers (about 30 wafers)
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • TOPPING:
  • 1 pound pitted canned or frozen tart red cherries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Red food coloring, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine crumbs and butter; press gently onto bottoms of 12 foil-lined muffin cups. In another bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Add egg; beat on low speed just until combined. Spoon over crusts.
  2. Bake until centers are almost set, 12-15 minutes. Cool completely.
  3. For topping, drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice in a saucepan; discard remaining juice. To reserved juice, add cherries, sugar, cornstarch and, if desired, food coloring. Bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Cool; spoon over cheesecakes. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.

Test Kitchen tips
  • Give these a sweet-salty spin and use crushed pretzels instead of vanilla wafers.
  • Replace the cherries with strawberries to celebrate warm-weather produce making its yearly debut.
  • Nutrition Facts

    1 mini cheesecake: 213 calories, 12g fat (6g saturated fat), 44mg cholesterol, 127mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (21g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.