Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes
ShareBite sized creamy mini red velvet cheesecakes with chocolate crust and fresh sweetened whipped cream.
I know. I jumped from Super Bowl snack food to this indulgent treat for Valentine’s Day. I can’t help it. I was seriously torn over what to share with you first because snacks are huge right now, given that the game is coming up and then soon after is Valentine’s Day. Normally it wouldn’t be such a rush to share a recipe with you but I want you to have time to get the right tools to make this. Thus, sharing this earlier than I might normally.
I’m honestly not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s just fact. But I had this intense need to make something. More specifically, something special that I’d never tasted or made before. Something that in the end would dye my hands red, or at least a few fingertips accidentally. That being red velvet. Being a northern girl I think I’m automatically given a pass for having never tasted or made it. It’s like a southern girl having no idea what Boston cream pie is. Or something along those lines. Food with strong ties to a specific region.
It was actually Jessica Simpson who introduced me to red velvet cake. The first time I had ever heard about it was for her (first) wedding. I was kind of totally obsessed with that show, mostly for it’s comedic moments. ‘Is this chicken or fish? I know it’s tuna but it says chicken of the sea’ She’ll never live that one down.
But I still had no idea what red velvet really was.
Oooh it’s creamy (velvety) chocolate goodness dyed a totally unnatural bright red. Why is the red necessary, I’ll never know. BUT it’s fun and kind of festive, if you’re into that kind of thing.
These bite sized red velvet cheesecakes absolutely, positively, must be topped off with fresh sweetened whipped cream. Because I said so. And because it means you can enjoy the leftovers as you please. I might’ve taken a few whipped cream shots when I was done with these photos. SO good.
Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Crust ingredients:
- 10 original chocolate sandwich cookies
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Filling ingredients:
- 12 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp red food color
- 1 large egg
Whipped cream ingredients:
- 1/2 C heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan.
- In a food processor, blend cookies until only small pieces remain. Add butter to combine. Add 1 small cookie scoop of crumbs to each cheesecake cavity. Press down with a flat sided object, such as a small shot glass, to form an even crust. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sour cream and sugar together until smooth. Add cocoa powder, mixing on low until combined. Add vanilla and red food color, followed by the egg.
- Fill each cheesecake cavity 3/4 full (roughly 1 and 1/4 medium scoop). Bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before transferring to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- When ready to eat, carefully remove cheesecakes from pan.
- Prepare whipped cream. Beating ingredients together in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add a dollop to each mini cheesecake. Serve immediately.
Notes
More mini cheesecake recipes:
- Mini lemon-lime cheesecakes
- Mini coffee cheesecakes with caramel whipped cream
- Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with gingersnap crust
- Mini eggnog cheesecakes
Items used in this recipe:
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Can u freeze these?
I imagine that you can, but I have not done so.
Pretty much drooling over this one. These should be the new cupcake!
Thanks so much Ali!
I cannot find a mini cheesecake pan in my area, can I use a cupcake pan?
I’ve never seen the pan in person, only online. I’ve linked to where you can purchase the pan within the post. But yes, you can use a regular cupcake pan. Keep in mind that cupcake pan cavities aren’t the same size as those in the cheesecake pan, so the overall size of your finished product will be different. I recommend using a liner with cupcake pans for easy removal. Good luck!
Hi, I really want to make this but I only plan on making 6 instead of 12. Should I directly cut the recipe in half or are there any restriction? Considering baking is about chemistry and all that, I dont really wanna mess up. Thanks!
You can definitely cut it in half if you’re comfortable breaking the numbers down. Enjoy!
I made something very similar to these for my husband birthday. I can’t find that recipe. Is it necessary to add the sour cream? Also, I wanted to surprise him with these again. Can I make them in the morning (cook & refrigerate), and have them ready to eat by 7pm? Thank you.
I’d suggest following the recipe as written for the best results. As for timing, it’s good to let them properly chill and not rush it or they’ll be too soft to remove from the cheesecake pan.
I can never cook with beets or red food coloring without having my hands and counters stained red! These look amazing!
Ha that’s what gloves and a counter mat are for… just in case ;) And thanks Liz!
This recipe sounds to die for! If I wanted to make one large cheesecake, how long would I bake it for?
This recipe was written specifically to make mini cheesecakes. Both the ingredient amounts and time would need to be adjusted to create a full size cheesecake.