Mini Turtle Cheesecakes – My Baking Habit

These mini turtle cheesecakes have a chocolate chip cookie crust, tangy cheesecake filling, and caramel, chocolate, and pecan topping. They’re as scrumptious as they’re cute!

You guys know by now that cheesecake recipes are my jam. Just about any kinda cheesecake. 

However I’m fairly positive we’ve hit it out of the park with this one. What if I instructed you these bite-sized cheesecakes have a chocolate chip cookie crust, delectable filling, after which three toppings to make them ridiculously good?

I do know, it feels like rather a lot. However one way or the other these mini turtle cheesecakes become good. 

Why you’ll love these mini turtle cheesecakes

In the event you love mini cheesecakes, you’re gonna flip for this recipe.

All of it begins with a chocolate chip cookie dough.

I actually love chocolate chip cookies already. And as a cheesecake base? Unimaginable.

Not solely is the feel unimaginable, this crust mimics the toppings – buttery cookie dough has chocolate chips and chopped pecans blended in, including crunch and gooey sweetness. The proper match for tangy cheesecake filling!

As soon as these mini turtle cheesecakes are baked up and cooled, you’ll high every one with caramel sauce, melted chocolate, and chopped pecans. You would possibly assume I’m gilding the lily, however I’m right here to let you know: Simply go along with it. Each chew is value it.

You get the proper stability of chewy cookie, silky cheesecake filling, candy caramel, gooey chocolate, and crunchy pecans.

It’s all the pieces I like about caramel pecan clusters or turtle thumbprint cookies and cheesecake in a single decadent chew.

make mini turtle cheesecakes

These mini turtle cheesecakes have a number of steps to make them, however not one of the steps are literally troublesome. And so they prove so cute, everybody will likely be so impressed with you!

Substances you’ll want

For the chocolate chip cookie crust on these cheesecakes, you have to:

• 6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter 
• ½ cup firmly packed gentle brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 calmly overwhelmed egg 
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon high-quality sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans

This can be a fairly commonplace cookie dough recipe, simply scaled all the way down to make simply the correct amount to function the underside of those cheesecakes.

I like to recommend utilizing mini chocolate chips within the crust as a result of they’re a significantly better dimension for these little cheesecakes than regular-size chocolate chips.

In the event you love the combo of chocolate and caramel however can’t have nuts, be happy to omit the pecans from the crust and the topping.

For the cheesecake filling, you have to:

• 3 (8-ounce) blocks room-temperature cream cheese 
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 room-temperature eggs 
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup heavy cream

The filling is fairly just like my vanilla cheesecake recipe. We’re maintaining the filling fairly easy since we’re dressing issues up with the crust and the toppings.

For the toppings, you have to:

• ½ cup caramel sauce
• 4 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate 
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans

I like to make use of my home made salted caramel sauce, however be happy to make use of a store-bought caramel sauce when you have some available. 

You probably have some chocolate ganache available, be happy to make use of that as a substitute of the melted chocolate.

Making these cheesecakes

This recipe makes 24 mini cheesecakes, so line 24 muffin wells with grease-proof paper liners. Put aside.

Make the crust: use a mixer to beat the butter, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla till gentle and fluffy. Add the egg and blend properly.

Individually, whisk collectively the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add this to the butter combination, then fold within the chocolate chips and pecans.

Add about 2 teaspoons of dough to every ready muffin cup. Don’t fear about urgent the dough flat earlier than baking, for the reason that cookies will unfold to fill the bottoms of the cups.

Bake at 375ºF for 8-9 minutes. Set the crusts apart to chill and cut back the oven temperature to 350ºF.

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer till properly mixed. Add the eggs and vanilla; combine properly, scraping down the edges of the bowl as wanted.

Add the heavy cream and blend till properly mixed.

Use a big cookie scoop to distribute 3 tablespoons of the filling into every muffin cup. Bake for 20-23 minutes or till the filling is simply set.

Let the mini cheesecakes cool fully, then chill them within the fridge for no less than 4 hours.

Earlier than serving, drizzle the tops of the cheesecakes with the caramel sauce and chocolate and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Storage and freezing suggestions

Retailer baked and cooled mini turtle cheesecakes in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.

You may as well freeze the cheesecakes. I like to recommend freezing them earlier than topping them.

Place the cheesecakes in an hermetic container with items of parchment paper separating layers. Freeze for as much as 3 months.

Enable the cheesecakes to thaw within the fridge in a single day or at room temperature for a few hours. High with the caramel, chocolate, and pecans earlier than serving.

Incessantly requested questions