Caramel Topped Mini Cheesecakes

Caramel-Topped Mini Cheesecakes combine two of my dessert obsessions, Caramel and Homemade Cheesecake. Making these in muffin tins provides much-needed portion control!

These Individual Caramel Cheesecakes have a sweet graham cracker crust followed by an ultra-creamy vanilla cheesecake, and then each is finished off with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce and a ripe raspberry. It’s a perfect dessert to serve for a gathering of friends or family! And I bet you’ll love my No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes, too!

Why You Should Make Mini Cheesecakes

• Everyone loves individual desserts!
• This Mini Cheesecake Recipe has built-in portion control.
• Creamy cheesecakes pair beautifully with sweet, rich caramel sauce.

These Caramel Topped Mini Cheesecakes were terrific!!! Thumbs up from the whole family. Not that I had any doubt. If you love individual desserts, these Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes are also winners!

Tips for Making Cheesecake 

When it comes to making cheesecake or microwave caramel sauce, there are a couple of rules to follow.

• First up, use room temperature ingredients. Your batter will be much smoother if your cream cheese, eggs, etc., are not pulled fresh from the fridge.
• If you’re using a Stand Mixer (affiliate links), use the paddle attachment. The whisk will incorporate air into the batter, preventing the cheesecake from having the traditional dense texture. If you’re using a Hand Mixer, mix on the lowest speed.
• The eggs must be added and incorporated into the batter one at a time. This allows each egg to blend in properly.
• A water bath, or bain-marie, is often used for baking a large cheesecake. The steam and surrounding water help minimize any cracking. This is not usually necessary with individual cheesecakes.

Tips for Making Microwave Caramel Sauce

• If you try my favorite Microwave Caramel Sauce, don’t fret if the first batch is a flop. All microwaves heat differently, and sometimes it’s difficult to see if the sugar is coloring through the appliance window. It should just be a pale yellow when you remove it from the microwave.
• If it’s already an amber color when you pull it out, it will be too dark as it continues to bubble and cook on your countertop. Just make a note of the exact time used when you’re successful, then you can have fresh caramel sauce in a matter of minutes anytime you want!
• I just got a new microwave with a dark window, so that first batch with a new appliance was a challenge. Thankfully, none of the ingredients are very expensive!
• You can always use a good-quality jar of caramel sauce, like Saunders or Mrs. Richardson’s (affiliate link) brands.

Frequently Asked Questions

You May Also Like:

Who doesn’t love having a personal-sized dessert that’s just the right size? We all do! Here are some of my favorites:

• Mini Tiramisu Trifles from Life Love and Sugar
• Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes 
• Molten Lava Cakes
• Individual Mascarpone Cheesecakes
• Margarita Cheesecakes
• White Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Individual Pavlovas
• Plus, check out more of my Best Desserts.

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The Recipe:

Caramel Topped Mini Cheesecakes Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Total Time 58 minutes

Yield 12 mini cheesecakes

!Recipes adapted from Making Memories With Your Kids and Cook's Illustrated

5.0 Stars (52 Reviews)

Ingredients

Cheesecakes

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar ( a half tablespoon is equal to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Microwave Caramel Sauce (or use a premium brand of jarred caramel sauce):

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup hot heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter till well combined. Add a well-rounded tablespoon to each muffin cup and tamp mixture into an even layer. Allow to cool while preparing the filling.
3. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and flour on low speed till smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time on low speed, and scrape down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla, sour cream and heavy cream and mix just until combined.
4. If your batter has lots of air bubbles, tap your bowl numerous times on the counter to help remove them. Alternatively, use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to make the batter to minimize air bubbles.
5. Divide mixture among muffin cups, but don't overfill (you may have some extra batter. Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, centers may still be slightly jiggly.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour. Then move to the refrigerator and chill 2 hours. Serve chilled with a spoonful of caramel sauce.
7. To make microwave caramel, mix sugar, corn syrup, water, and lemon juice in a 2 cup capacity Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave till mixture just starts to take on a bit of color, 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully...my previous microwave would burn it at 5 minutes, but my current microwave needs almost a full 5 minutes to get to a pale amber.
8. Remove cup to counter where it will continue to bubble and darken to an amber color. Add hot cream a couple tablespoons at a time (it will bubble intensely, so add slowly). When all the cream is added, stir and add in butter. Store in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Total time does not include cooling and chilling time.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Tassie Tamper
• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  Cupcake Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 cheesecake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 66mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 0gSugar: 34gProtein: 2g

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