Cheesecake Bites

Cheesecake is one of the most popular desserts around (seriously, we have 12 pages of cheesecake recipes at the time of writing), so these cheesecake bites are a slam-dunk dessert. What are they? Well, they’re cheesecake cut into bite-sized pieces and dipped into chocolate. Need we say more?

This is a two-day recipe, but the hands-on portion of each day is pretty minimal. It takes just a few minutes to make the cheesecake, a little over a half-hour to bake it, then time enough the next day to dip the pieces after they’re frozen (as little as 10 minutes if you’re skilled, perhaps 30 minutes if this is your first attempt). These cheesecake bites are a perfect make-ahead treat to keep in your fridge or freezer for quick snacks or unexpected company.

Ingredients for Cheesecake Bites

• Graham cracker crumbs: A graham-crumb crust is what you’ll find on the majority of cheesecakes, so it makes sense to use one here. It provides enough structure to keep the cheesecake bites in one piece when they’re cut, while remaining light and delicate.
• Pecans: The finely chopped nuts bring their rich flavor and an interesting texture to the crust of this cheesecake bites recipe.
• Butter: Melted butter helps bind the crust ingredients together.

Filling:

• Cream cheese: Cream cheese is the filling’s primary ingredient, bringing richness and a distinctive tang that helps offset the sweetness. The stabilizers in cream cheese also help give the filling its smooth texture.
• Sugar: The amount of sugar used in the filling is just enough to make it taste sweet and rich, without going overboard.
• Sour cream: Sour cream adds another layer of understated tartness and richness to the filling, so it can be sweet but not cloying.
• Eggs: You may not think of it in these terms, but a cheesecake’s filling is actually a custard. It’s the eggs that bind it up and help it set to its firm yet delicate texture.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla isn’t one of the more assertive flavorings in your pantry, but it makes the cheesecake taste richer. It also somehow conveys the idea of sweetness, without requiring added sugar.

Coating:

• Semisweet chocolate: Chocolate provides the cheesecake bits with their coating, adding another layer of flavor and also making them finger-friendly. Although the chocolate itself is sweet, it also brings a dark, earthy note that helps balance the flavors of the finished dessert and keeps the cheesecake from being overly sweet.
• Shortening: Shortening thins the melted chocolate, which can be rather viscous on its own. This makes it easier to dip the cheesecake bites without them crumbling and gives them a thin, professional-looking chocolate shell.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the crust

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Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, and grease the foil. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans and butter, then press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.

Step 2: Prepare the cheesecake

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In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until they’re smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat them on low speed until they’re just combined. Pour the filling mixture over the crust in the pan, then bake it until the center is almost set, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cheesecake in its pan on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature, then cover and freeze it overnight.

Editor’s Tip: The cheesecake is ready when the sides are fully set but the middle 2 to 3 inches of filling are still slightly wobbly when you give the pan a gentle shake. The filling retains a lot of heat when you take it from the oven, and that residual heat will finish setting the custard (“carryover” cooking). If you leave it in until the middle is fully set, the outer edges will be overbaked and dry.

Step 3: Melt the chocolate for dipping

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The following day, in the microwave, melt the chopped chocolate and shortening in 30-second increments, stirring each time. When only a few pieces of chocolate are still unmelted, remove it from the microwave and continue stirring until no solid pieces are visible. Set the chocolate aside to cool slightly.

Step 4: Cut the cheesecake

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Use the foil liner to lift the frozen cheesecake from its pan. Gently peel off the foil and cut the cheesecake into 1-1/4-inch squares, returning them to the pan as you work. Keep the pan in your fridge, taking out just a few squares at a time for dipping.

Step 5: Dip the cheesecake bites

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Spear one cheesecake square at a time with a sturdy toothpick and dip it completely into the melted chocolate mixture, allowing a moment for any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place each dipped square on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment. Reheat the chocolate as needed, until all the squares have been dipped. Spoon any remaining chocolate over the dipped cheesecake bites to cover any spots that aren’t fully covered. Let the cheesecake bites stand for at least 20 minutes, or until the chocolate has set.

Editor’s Tip: Leftover chocolate can also be drizzled over the finished cheesecake bites in a back-and-forth pattern, to create a decorative finish. Alternatively, for contrast, you could melt some white chocolate and drizzle that over the bites.

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Cheesecake Bites Variations

• Switch up the flavor of the filling: Our base recipe calls for a relatively plain cheesecake flavored with vanilla, but there are plenty of alternative flavor options for you to choose from. If you love blueberries, for example, you might use the filling from our contest-winning blueberry swirl cheesecake. Just remember to swirl or stir any toppings into the filling, because putting them on top won’t work in this instance. The simplest upgrade of all doesn’t even include a change of flavor: Use a good-quality natural vanilla extract, or a vanilla-bean paste, instead of the usual vanilla extract you bake with.
• Use an alternative coating: Semisweet chocolate is the “little black dress” of the dessert world, and you usually can’t go wrong with it. But it isn’t your only choice. You could opt instead for dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch-flavored chips or even peanut butter-flavored chips. Add-in flavorings like rum extract or instant espresso powder give you even more options.
• Create themed cheesecake bites: The base recipe we’ve given here can be used to create custom cheesecake bites for any occasion, flavor profile or time of year. For example an autumn version might combine a gingersnap crust, pumpkin cheesecake and a white chocolate coating with candied-ginger garnish. A mid-summer version might use a lemon cheesecake filling, with lemon zest in the crust and small wedges of candied lemon as a garnish.

How to Store Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites

Keep your mini cheesecake bites in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer. Storing them in a single layer is best, because it eliminates any risk of them sticking together, but if you wish you can stack them with a layer of parchment paper in between.

Can I freeze my cheesecake bites?

These freeze perfectly well, and in fact that’s part of the preparation method. Pack them into a freezer-safe container with an airtight lid, which will protect them from physical damage in the freezer. For longer-term storage, once they’re frozen you can use a vacuum sealer to pack them without exposure to air. The best option is to then put your vacuum bag of cheesecake bites inside a container with a tight-fitting lid, which provides extra protection against the dry air of the freezer and also guards against physical damage.

How long do cheesecake bites keep?

The cheesecake filling is perishable, so four to five days is your limit in the refrigerator. In the freezer they’ll stay food-safe indefinitely, but they’ll start to develop off-flavors after three to four months. If they’re sealed in a vacuum bag they can last up to twice as long without loss of quality (a vacuum sealer is a good thing to have). Open the bag, remove as many as you need for a single serving, then reseal the bag for continued storage.

Can I make cheesecake bites ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely. If you’re confident that they’ll all be eaten when you serve them, use their four to five day refrigerator life as your benchmark and make them up to three to four days ahead. If you freeze them, you can keep a batch on hand for a few months and pull them out as needed to serve family or guests (or as a treat for yourself, of course).

Cheesecake Bites Tips

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Why did my mini cheesecake bites get all blotchy when I served them?

On hot and humid days, when you pull your cheesecake bites out of the fridge or especially the freezer, moisture from the air will condense on them and make the chocolate look blotchy. It doesn’t affect their flavor, but it spoils their appearance. You’ll see it most often with frozen cheesecake bites, so just giving them time to thaw overnight in your fridge will often prevent this problem. If they’re attracting condensation straight from your fridge as well, give them 20 to 30 minutes in the coolest and driest spot available (in front of a fan or near an AC unit is good) so they can ease up toward room temperature before you serve them.

Can I make a vegan or gluten-free version of these?

The gluten-free version is easy, just replace the graham cracker crumbs with their GF equivalent, or make your crust with crushed nuts instead of crumbs.

A vegan version is trickier, but definitely possible. You’ll need to swap the butter for coconut oil or another plant-based fat, make your own cashew cream-cheese (or just buy a premade vegan cream cheese substitute) and then use egg replacers and possibly xanthan gum or guar gum so it sets to the right texture. Alternatively, you could keep it simple and use a store-bought vegan cheesecake, then cut it to the correct size and shape for dipping. You’ll also want to find a certified-vegan chocolate for dipping.

How can I make these even more fun for parties?

Oh, that opens the door to a lot of possibilities, depending on the time of year and the guests you’re expecting. One option is to spear them with lollipop sticks for dipping, and leave the sticks in place to make cheesecake pops. On hot days you can serve them straight from the freezer as a pleasingly cold bite. Offer cheesecake pops on platters with appropriate dips, like caramel sauce or fruit-flavored yogurt. Better yet, make them completely interactive by offering up melted chocolate or caramel sauce for dipping, with a variety of added toppings such as cookie crumbs, sprinkles, crushed nuts or shredded coconut to roll them in.