Normally, when I see a something turned into a mini-thing for a recipe, I assume it is going to be harder to make.
That is simply not the case with these little cheesecakes! They are as easy (if not easier) than if you were to make a large version.
Plus you don’t need a fancy spring form pan to make these. You use just a normal muffin tin! There’s really no reason why you shouldn’t make these mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes as soon as possible.
Even though they’re baked in cupcake wrappers, you still need a crust for them. To make the crust, just mix together graham cracker crumbs, some melted butter, and a pinch of salt and cinnamon, then pack the crust into the muffin tins.
It turns out that for most muffin tins, a ¼ cup measuring cup fits perfectly in them so you can use that to make sure the crust is well-packed into the cups.
Bake the crusts at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Then let them cool.
The filling for these is pretty easy also. Just whip together the cream cheese and sugar until it’s light and fluffy and then add in all the other ingredients. There’s a lot of cinnamon in these bad boys. A whole tablespoon to be exact, and some applesauce to give it some extra flavor.
Once your filling is mixed together, spoon it into your cupcake cups. You can almost fill these to the top. They will expand a bit, but not much.
As with any cheesecake, it’s a good idea to bake these guys with some steaming water in the oven to create a really moist environment. If you don’t do this your cheesecakes might be on the dry side.
Just bring about 4 cups of water to a boil and pour it in a large baking dish under your muffin tin in the oven.
Bake the cheesecakes at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes until they are just set.
This was my oven rig!
When they come out they shouldn’t be really browned at all and should be barely set. If your cheesecakes are browned or cracked, that probably means your oven is hotter than the gauge says.
Let these babies cool completely before frosting them.
The frosting I used for these is about as easy as frosting gets. Just beat together the butter and powdered sugar and then whip in the vanilla and enough cream to make the frosting easy to spread.
You can spread the frosting on with a knife or pull out a piping bag and make a fun design on each cheesecake. I went with a simple swirl pattern for each.
To top off the mini cheesecakes, dust them with a little extra cinnamon for good measure.
If you don’t eat all of these immediately, store them in the fridge since they have so much dairy in them.
If you have ideas for other fun flavors to incorporate, leave a comment!
Nick was simply amazed that these were actually easier than making a full-sized cheesecake. Be sure to check out his blog, Macheesmo, and follow him on his Tablespoon Profile.
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