Description
These Santa Hat Mini Cheesecakes are a delightful and festive single-serving dessert perfect for the holiday season. Featuring a buttery graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and topped with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry to resemble a Santa hat, these bite-sized treats are easy to make and sure to impress your guests at any Christmas gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 10 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ÂĽ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Âľ cup powdered sugar
Decoration
- Whole strawberries, tops removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Set your oven to 350°F and line a mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners for easy removal.
- Make crust: In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Scoop about 1 tablespoon into each liner and press evenly to form a crust layer.
- Bake crust: Bake the crusts for 5 minutes, then let them cool while preparing the cheesecake batter.
- Prepare oven: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F to bake the cheesecakes.
- Make cheesecake batter: In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and granulated sugar on low speed until smooth and well combined. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract, then beat for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
- Fill crusts: Spoon a generous teaspoon of the cheesecake mixture into each muffin liner, filling them right to the top.
- Bake cheesecake: Place in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until set. Allow them to cool. Repeat for remaining batter if needed.
- Make whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar with a handheld mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag.
- Assemble Santa hats: Pipe whipped cream onto the center of each cheesecake. Top each with a strawberry, flat side down, pressing gently. Add a small dollop of whipped cream on the strawberry tip to complete the ‘hat.’
- Chill: Refrigerate the mini cheesecakes until ready to serve to let flavors meld and whipped cream firm up.
Notes
- These mini cheesecakes are perfect for holiday parties and are an easy way to serve festive single portions.
- Make them a day ahead to allow cheesecakes to fully set and flavors to develop.
- Use fresh strawberries for the best appearance and flavor; ensure tops are removed cleanly for proper placement.
- For easier cleanup and removal, use non-stick or silicone mini cupcake liners.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic sandwich bag with a small corner cut off.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cheesecake
- Calories: 67 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 41 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
