Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes -

Hey, pumpkin!

This is the best damn mini cheesecake I’ve ever eaten. When I tested this recipe with my mom and my friend Irene, we all three took a bite and said, “OMG!” The crust is a buttery graham cracker crust with a pinch of cinnamon, the cheesecake itself is so luscious, and the cinnamon whipped cream goes perfectly with the cheesecake.

I came up with this recipe for Disney Dinners: Cinderella, during which I served these cheesecakes with caramel chocolate mice on a cocoa powder clock. Yum! See that recipe here.

This recipe makes 10 mini cheesecakes but would easily double. With any cream cheese recipe, it’s imperative that the cream cheese is at room temperature or else it will never blend properly. Pull the cream cheese out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to make this to ensure a perfectly creamy cheesecake.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
For the crust:
12 Graham Crackers (3/4 cup crumbs)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
Pinch cinnamon

For the filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon
Fresh nutmeg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg, room temperature

For the cinnamon whipped cream:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 10 muffin tin cavities with paper liners and spray with nonstick spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of cinnamon in food processor to make the crust. Divide crust evenly among prepared paper liners, gently patting down with a spoon. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.
While the crust is baking, make the filling: beat softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Add cinnamon and grate some fresh nutmeg right into the batter. Mix in pumpkin until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the egg.
Divide batter evenly among the crust and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake looks set. Cool completely in the pan, then remove from muffin tin and chill in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight.
Beat whipping cream with a whisk in a metal bowl until soft peaks form. Whisk in cinnamon, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe cinnamon whipped cream on top of mini cheesecakes and enjoy!

Read more about Disney Dinners: Cinderella here. Watch the episode:

Tune in at 7 pm CST on Facebook to watch the episode!

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