Home · Recipes · Cheesecakes Mini Cheesecake Brûlée Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Aug 5, 2013Updated: Sep 15, 2023 View Recipe34 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Two desserts combine combined into one bite sized treat. These mini cheesecake brûlée bites are great for parties and celebrations! Why Make Mini Cheesecake Bites No one needs a big slice of cheesecake. Appropriate sized mini cheesecake bites will do just fine! Cheesecake is a universally loved dessert. Nearly every cuisine has some version of a baked or steamed cake made with soft cheese. The most common cheesecakes in America are made with cream cheese. Other variations use ricotta, mascarpone cheese, or Greek yogurt. This bite sized cheesecake that combines forces with delicious caramelized sugar! Cheesecake and crème brûlée are two quintessential desserts that everyone should know how to make.They are both very simple and sure crowd pleasers. What makes crème brûlée the”perfect” dessert? In culinary school, crème brûlée was always refered to as the “perfect” dessert because of its simplicity and its varying textures and flavors. It has everything you could want in a dessert. The cream filling is smooth, silky, and sweet. The brunt sugar crust is crisp with a light bitterness to complement the sweet filling. Crème brûlée is a timeless dessert that has become a standard at restaurants and is often associated with special occasions and romantic dinners. New to crème brûlée? This slow cooker crème brûlée is a great introduction to cooking this classic dessert. Assemble Mini Cheesecakes Divide graham cracker mixture among the cheesecake pan. Use a tamper to pack the crust into the mold. Mix together the cheesecake filling. Pour filling into prepared cheesecake pans. Bake! Cool to room temperature, then keep chilled in the fridge until ready to brulee and serve. When you combine cheesecake and crème brûlée together, the results are amazing, delicious, and addicting! How to Brûlée Blot surface with paper towel to remove any moisture. Sprinkle a layer of granulated sugar over surface. Use a kitchen torch to gently burn and caramelize the sugar. You can pretty much brûlée anything! From donuts to rice pudding and more, you can transform a plain dessert into something with more depth and dimension. Serving Suggestions Cheesecake can be baked ahead of time. Cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Depending on the temperature and humidity of your fridge, the surface of the cheesecake may form condensation. If this happens, gently bloat with paper towel. Add sugar and brûlée top of cheesecake just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. NOTE: The brûlée top will melt in the fridge. More Cheesecake Recipes Coffee Mousse Cheesecake Basque Cheesecake Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake Mini Cheesecake Brûlée Combine two desserts in one bite sized treat! Mini cheesecakes are topped with sugar and caramelized until golden. Yield: makes 20 mini cheesecakes Prep Time: 20 minutes minutesCook Time: 20 minutes minutesChill Time: 1 hour hourTotal Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes Servings: 20 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Equipment12 cavity mini cheesecake mold pankitchen torch Ingredients12 full graham cracker sheets, about 1 ½ cups ground⅓ cup toasted pecans, ground⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled16 oz cream cheese, room temp¼ cup sour cream, room temp¾ cup granulated sugar2 large eggs, room temp1 large egg yolk, room temp2 teaspoon vanilla paste, or vanilla extract¼ teaspoon kosher saltgranulated sugar, as needed to brûlée tops Instructions In a food processor, pulse together graham crackers and pecans until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and add melted butter. Fold to combine. Divide among mini cheesecake molds. I used a rounded tablespoon of crust for each cheesecake. Use a spoon or tamper to pack crust into mold. Set aside.Preheat oven to 325°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add cream cheese and sour cream. Beat on low speed until smooth. Slowly add sugar while the machine is still on low. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure throughout mixing. Add vanilla paste and sea salt and mix until combined. Evenly divide cheesecake filling among molds.Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cheesecake may puff up slightly, but will flatten out once cooled. Let baked cheesecake cool to room temperature, then transfer to fridge to chill. Let cheesecake chill for at an hour.Remove from molds and sprinkle tops generously with granulated sugar. Using a kitchen torch, gently burn the sugar. Serve and enjoy! NotesStorage & Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. NOTE: The brûlée top will melt in the fridge. Bake Cheesecake Ahead of Time: Cheesecake can be baked ahead of time. Cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Depending on the temperature and humidity of your fridge, the surface of the cheesecake may form condensation. If this happens, gently bloat with paper towel. Add sugar and brûlée top of cheesecake just before serving. I use this mini cheesecake mold and I recommend this kitchen torch. Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: DessertCuisine: American, FrenchKeyword: mini cheesecake, mini dessert, brulee cheesecake Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says: August 5, 2013 These are so gorgeous! I’m not even a cheesecake lover but I’m sure I would devour them! The brulee topping takes it over the top. And, um, you can just consider this carbo loading for the marathon, right? Reply
Maryanne says: August 5, 2013 Thanks, Elizabeth! Haha, I think carb loading three weeks before the marathon may be a little excessive. But I am totally making your deep fried cheesecake after I cross the finish line!
Xander says: August 5, 2013 I love Cheesecake and things that are “Brulee’d”. Recipe looks promising and the pictures are fantastic. Can’t wait to try one! Reply
consuelohoneyandfigs says: August 6, 2013 Oh My God… these babies look truly wonderful. I shouldn’t be seeing this when marathon season is so near! :O Reply
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today says: August 6, 2013 hahaha, I ma not surprised that you had 3 pieces, look at this beauties! Reply
JT says: August 6, 2013 How do you get the mini cheesecakes out of the tin? Slide a knife around the sides then … ? Looks amazing! Reply
Maryanne says: August 6, 2013 Sorry, I think I forgot to mention that the mini cheesecake pan has removable tin bottoms. You just push them out of the pan. After the cheesecake has baked, I let it cool to room temperature and just pop them out of the pan. No knife necessary. They pull away from the sides of the tin as they cool.
Ina says: October 20, 2013 Hi – please show us what the mini cheesecake pan looks like? Thank you Reply
Maryanne says: October 20, 2013 Hi Ina, the mini cheesecake pan is photographed in the post. I bought it here: http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-3919-Deluxe-Mini-Cheesecake/dp/B0006IW02M
Maryanne Cabrera says: April 16, 2014 Hi Tara! Sorry about that. My site was under construction this morning. Still trying to work out all the little kinks. Glad you were able to load the recipe! Happy baking!
Tara says: April 17, 2014 No worries, I completely understand. Having a major issue with Ziplist and the new wordpress today. Added the cheesecake brulee to my menu plan next week :) Reply
Del's cooking twist says: January 15, 2015 What a beautiful recipe. I’m in love with creme brulée (my French side for sure!) and I’m a big fan of cheesecake. What else? :) Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: March 18, 2015 Yes, you can use a muffin tin. However, it may be difficult to remove from a regular cupcake tin, unless you use paper liners. You may have to adjust the amounts of crust and cheesecake filling.
Summer says: April 15, 2015 Hi I made these last night & it’s not often that I find a recipe that’s spot on! Great job! Question, they sunk in the middle a lot. Do you know what I could have done wrong there? They did puff up like you said but when they sunk it made a crater in the middle. Also I used a mini cupcake pan with liners and it worked great. I changed the quantities to: 1 tsp crust and 1 tbsp filling for those interested. Thanks! Reply
Cam says: December 19, 2016 I have one mini pan, with 12 servings. I have not used it yet. Your recipe says it makes 20 though. How full do you fill the pan? ? Thanks! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 19, 2016 There is a photo above in the post that shows how much I filled the pans. (about 3/4 full)
Erin Cochrane says: May 20, 2018 I have made these a few times and everyone absolutely loves them. But how do you get them out of the pans looking so perfect? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: May 21, 2018 I’m glad you like the recipe! It’s definitely one of my favorites. My secret to unmolding the cheesecakes: I use a kitchen torch to lightly warm up the sides of the cheesecake mold. Then I proceed to push the cheesecake out of the mold tin.
Ani says: September 9, 2018 Made these tonight When I took them out of the oven they immediately shrunk in the center . Baked them for 18 min at 325 . I’m thinking I might have over whipped the eggs . Any recommendations? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: September 10, 2018 It could be the result of numerous factors. Overmixing can definitely cause the cheesecake to crack or sink. It could also be caused by a sudden change in temperature. Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, and leave the oven door ajar. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove and run a knife or mini offset spatula along the edges of the cheesecake to loosen. Then allow cheesecake to cool to room temp.
megan says: September 22, 2019 Absolutely love this recipe. Had great feedback from guests at a recent corporate gala that we managed. Reply
Fran says: December 18, 2019 Would these be ok if they are made the day before they will be served? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 20, 2019 Yes, these can be made a day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Depending on the humidity of your fridge, condensation may form on the surface of cheesecake. Add sugar and brulee the cheesecake tops just before serving.