Fall has officially arrived here in Indiana and the holiday season is upon us. For me, that means making allllll the desserts for holiday parties – and while I love a huge show-stopping cheesecake (and I take one to my husband’s family Thanksgiving every year) there’s something great about these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes that you can just pick up, eat by hand, and mingle around the party. Oh, and that gingersnap crust and maple cinnamon whipped cream are pretty great too.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Make the Gingersnap Crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
To make the gingersnap crust, add 20 gingersnap cookies, salt, and brown sugar to your food processor. (A blender also works just fine – I like to use my Ninja Blender.) Grind into fine pieces. Then add melted butter and mix to combine. Press a heaping TBSP of crust into each cupcake liner and press down with the bottom of a small glass or the back of your spoon. I like a pretty thick crust – about 1/3 of the way up. Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool on the counter.
Make the Cheesecake Filling
When making any cheesecake it is suuuuper important that you let all of the ingredients come to room temperature – especially the cream cheese. I suggest letting it sit out on the counter for at least 3 hours. This just helps to ensure that everything incorporates and you don’t have any lumps of cream cheese. Also, I will forever suggest using Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes on medium speed until it’s soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add the pumpkin and sour cream, mix to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is getting incorporated. Add the salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix to combine.
Fill each cupcake liner nearly to the top. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven and crack the oven door open, but leave the cheesecakes in there. Let them cool in the oven for 30 minutes, then cool completely on the counter.
Make the Maple Cinnamon Whipped Cream and Candied Pumpkin Seeds
For the maple cinnamon whipped cream, add the cream, cinnamon, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk by hand until stiff peaks form – about 5-7 minutes. You can also do this in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. I’ve been using this maple syrup this year, and I love it!!
For the Candied Pumpkin Seeds, toss the raw pumpkin seeds with the maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg making sure each seed is coated. Spread out on a baking sheet (I like to use my quarter sheet pan for this) and bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool then break into small pieces.
Assembly and Serving
Once the cheesecakes are completely cool, pipe on a swirl of maple cinnamon whipped cream. I like to use a piping bag and Wilton Tip 8B for this. You could also use a zip top bag or just spoon on the whipped cream for a more rustic look. Top each cheesecake with candied pumpkin seeds.
Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days, but if you are making them that far ahead, don’t top them with whipped cream until the day you will be serving them!
I’m so excited for you guys to try this one! And if cheesecake desserts are your thing, you’ll definitely want to try out my Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies too!
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Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes 1x
Description
Perfectly spiced mini pumpkin cheesecakes with a gingersnap crust topped with maple cinnamon whipped cream and candied pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
For the gingersnap crust
- 20 gingersnap cookies
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 TBSP Brown Sugar
- 4 TBSP Unsalted Butter, melted
For the pumpkin cheesecake filling
- 12 oz (1 1/2 blocks) Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 C Sugar
- 1/3 C Sour Cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 C Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 TBSP Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. Allspice
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
For the Maple Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- 3/4 C Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 2 TBSP Sugar
- 3 TBSP Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
For the Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 C Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- 4 TBSP Maple Syrup
- 2 TBSP Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
Instructions
For the Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.
- In a food processor or blender, grind the gingersnap cookies, brown sugar, and salt into fine pieces.
- Mix in the melted butter.
- Press a heaping TBSP of crust into each cupcake liner.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool on the counter while you make the cheesecake filling.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat for 3 minutes, or until smooth.
- Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree and sour cream. Mix to combine. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is getting combined.
- Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix to combine.
- Fill each cupcake liner nearly to the top and bake for 15 minutes at 350.
- Turn off the oven and crack the door open slightly, but leave the cheesecakes in there.
- Let the cheesecakes sit in the warm oven for 30 minutes, then allow to fully cool on the counter.
For the Maple Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk by hand for 5-7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. (Alternatively you can use your stand mixer with the whisk attachment.)
- Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and an open star tip such as Wilton 8B. Set Aside.
For the Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- Toss all the ingredients together making sure to coat each pumpkin seed.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool then break into small pieces.
Assembly –
Pipe a swirl of whipped cream onto each cheesecake, then top with candied pumpkin seeds. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Store in the fridge for 5 days. If making ahead, wait to top with whipped cream until the day you plan to serve.
This is the perfect fall treat (seriously, my husband asked if I was disappointed that I’d already made the best pumpkin treat I’ll make all season because it’s the start of autumn…!). Each layer is better than the next, and the flavor combination creates the perfect bite. SO GOOD. We’ll definitely be making these again!
Hey Meredith!
Thanks so much for making these I’m so happy you loved this recipe!