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Super Easy Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

I made these cute little treats for my grandfather’s 84th birthday. He has a little bit of a sweet tooth. So I thought he’d love these.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Super Easy Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
Yield: Makes about 4 dozen

Super Easy Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 (8oz.) packgages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ------
  • vanilla wafers
  • 2" aluminum mini baking cups
  • Cherry Pie Filling

Instructions

  1. Mix cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice together until completely combined.
  2. Place a vanilla wafer in each mini baking cup.
  3. Spoon approximately 3 Tbsp of cream cheese mixture over each wafer.
  4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and top with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate. Oh yeah … and enjoy!
UPDATE: HI GUYS! – This recipe must be getting pinned often because I see a lot of recent questions with people having trouble. I made this about five years ago and at the time these little mini foil baking cups were pretty easy to find. Reynolds made them and on the box, they were labeled 2 inch. Smaller than a muffin liner and larger than a miniature baking cup. The top of the liner measures 2 inches wide and if you opened them up and flattened them out, they are 3.5 inches in diameter. The liners were sturdy enough so you didn’t need a mini pan to place them in. They can go straight onto a baking sheet. The cheesecakes are small – the size of a vanilla wafer base. And maybe a hair smaller because the wafers didn’t lay 100% flat. I put the round side down and they fit great. If you are baking in regular muffin size cups, then they will be bigger and need adjustments to the time. It could also be why the wafers are floating to the top.  Try mixing the two (2) room temperature 8 oz blocks of cream cheese and sugar together first. Then add room temp eggs, vanilla and lemon juice to help it from being lumpy. The mixture was thin but not runny if you look at the pic above. I should probably revisit this recipe and update it. I wrote this back when I was the only one reading my site, so the directions could be better. I hope this helps some in the meantime : ).

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313 comments on “Super Easy Mini Cherry Cheesecakes”

  1. Question: How many mini cupcakes will this make. If I wanted to make he cheese cake in a regular cup cake size, in your opinion how many will it make and what do you think the new cooking time would be
    Thanks

  2. I just made these, and they were good but, but they looked like bowls. Raised up on the side and low in the middle. That’s ok if you are going to fill them with fruit., but if you don’t they look funny. Is there any way to avoid that?

  3. I made these for a group event, and got many compliments. They were all gone by the end of the night.

    There seems to be a lot of confusion over how to make these. I used standard sized Nilla Wafers, and “Celebration” brand foil mini cupcake liners from Michael’s craft store. The Nilla Wafers were a bit too large to fit in my cupcake liners at first, but here is what I did to solve it:
    – Placed the cupcake liners on a cookie sheet rather than in my mini muffin pan. The Nilla Wafers wouldn’t fit when I put the liners in the mini muffin pan.
    – Turn the Nilla Wafers upside down as suggested by another reviewer.
    – Push the Wafers down into the liners…you have to force it a bit, and it will stretch out the liner a bit so that the top becomes wider, but it worked out fine. Even if your Nilla Wafers are a bit crooked, chances are that nobody will notice once all the filling is covering them.

    I used slightly less lemon juice than suggested, since some reviews said the lemon was overpowering. I didn’t find the lemon to taste strongly at all, so in my opinion, a whole Tb would be just fine as long as you are going to offset the flavor with the cherry topping.

    I baked my cheesecakes for 15 min. It was a little tricky to get the lumps out, so I would suggest to look up a recipe for a regular cheesecake and follow their technique on how to add the ingredients one at a time (rather than dumping everything together at the same time). With the mini cupcake liners that I was using, I got 75 mini cheesecakes. There were roughly 70 cherries in my 21 oz can of cherry pie topping, in case people are looking for a guesstimate on how many cans of pie topping to buy.

    One tip from another reviewer that I found to be especially helpful was to put the filling into a ziplock bag and then pipe the filling into the cupcake liners…much less messy!

  4. Hello!
    Can you tell me how much it’s 8 oz of cream cheese?
    Because in Poland we use kg and g.

    Cheers!

  5. I found it easier to crush cookies into bottom of paper cup and works beautifully. Everyone loves them. and you can use cherry, blueberry pie fillings or crushed strawberries.

  6. Did you just line up all the cupcake liners in a cookie pan and baked it?

  7. Hello love your site! But I’m having some trouble, I’m trying to make your mini cherry cheesecakes, but I can’t find 2″ mini foil cups anywhere in my hometown. Can I use maybe paper ones and just double them up? I need help asap please, thank you so much!

  8. I couldn’t find the 2″ so I got the 2 1/2″. But what if I crumble the nila wafers and add butter to it? Can I just put that as the base of the cupcake?

  9. How far ahead of Christmas can you make these. = Do they stay well in fridge for a couple weeks or can you freeze them?

  10. can these be frozen with the cherries ontop?

  11. I “tried” making these last night. I was so disappointed. They were too “eggy” and for some reason some of the vanilla wafers floated up while baking. Did anyone else have this problem? I followed the directions, I don’t understand what happened.

  12. I am absolutely in love with your food, ideas, photography, etc.
    I’ve been reading so many of your recipes, and hoping one day I would bake them and I am! I am going to try to make the super easy mini cherry cheesecakes.
    But, for the the vanilla wafer crackers, I didn’t know they had mini ones, and honestly, do not know if regular size ones are the size you used, would it be best to crush them and piece it together with butter like a regular cheesecake and bake it for a couple minutes and pour in the mixture? I’m not entirely sure what i would do if the vanilla wafers don’t fit! :\

  13. Can i have half measurement for this recipe ? :)

  14. wow, am I really that spacey? I just made these and thought the batter looked a little thin so i came back to read others comments. DID YOU MEAN 2 8OZ PKGS OF CREAM CHEESE FOR A TOTAL OF 16 OZ OF CREAM CHEESE?

  15. Can i use regular graham cracker crust from a package instead or will it come out different or soggy?

  16. can you use a pumpkin cheesecake recipe with the vanilla wafers the same way?

  17. Hi Bakerall I know this an old post but i have been trying to find paper cases for this that are flat at the bottom and go straight up. As in they don’t go out and up like cupcake or muffin cases. I just wanted rounded straight up cases and i cant find them ANYWHERE! Help! Any ideas? I want to make the mini cheesecakes but I really anal about the shape i want them to be. I have seen this style paper cups before i just can’t find them in stores :(

  18. Wow! They look amazing, cant wait to try this recipe.

  19. you can chop up the wafers or just use graham cracker and add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon, no need to bake ahead of cheesecake. Just put a little spoonful on the bottom of the muffin wrapper. .i use the paper too, just need to let them set because they will spread out if they are not kept in muffin pan before they are cooled. i just take them out after a little cooled and put them close together in container so they hold their shape and move on to the next batch! You can add a dollop of jelly in middle, raspberry is my favorite!

  20. I can only make about 24-25 cheesecakes but they are delicious!

  21. Can you freeze the mini cheesecake cookies?

  22. hello, I would like to make these for the parents at my sons birthday party but I am not a baker at all. I would like to know if I could use the no bake cheesecake and if so shoud I still place in the over to brown on top? Thanks

    Love, love, love your site!!

  23. I don’t have vanilla wafers, but I do have grahm cracker crumbs… Would that work?

  24. love them they turned out great!!!!!!!!!! thanks bakerella

  25. Hello Bakerella,
    My question is can these cheesecake bies be frozen? or how long can I keep them in the fridge/? I plan on making them for a wedding I will be attending. and should I wait til the day of serving to put the topping on them

  26. Hi bakerella, ever since i came across this reciepe about 3 weeks ago i’ve made these cute and yummy cheesecakes about 4 times now. And since i’ve about memorized the recipe and mastered it i have a few questions,..

    when you spoon the 3 tablespoons of mixture into the cups i find it too much than the actual cup can hold, i DO use the 2inch mini liners and my wafers fit perfectly into the cups but I find the mixture to spill when i spoon the 3rd tablespoon in….was the recipe only supposed to call for 2 tablespoons in the cups or am i doing something wrong?

  27. Made these last night for a bachelorette party. Used paper party peanut cups and topped with caramel sauce. I’m surprised I still had some left for the party. Easy recipe and so delicious :)

  28. WONDERFUL … I LOVE YOUR WORK YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE AN ARTIST …!!!! YOUR RECIPES ARE AN INSPIRATION …!!!! CONGRATULATIONS …

  29. Hello Bakerella!
    I found your blog a few months ago.
    You’re the Baking Queen to me ^-^ You have great great ideas and I thank you so much for sharing.
    I tried today the mini cheesecakes but I changed a little the recipe because we can’t find vanilla wafers in France and I used raspberries.
    They were delicious and easy to make!! My boyfriend really loved them too!
    Thank you as well for sharing your cake pops recipes! They’re quite unknown in France and since I saw your recipe I can’t stop making them!
    Don’t stop baking and making me dreaming ^-^
    All the best from France!

  30. As soon as I pulled the cheesecakes out of the oven all of them sunk in. Any suggestions for next time? Thank you!

  31. Just popped mine into the oven. I had the “my wafers are too big for my cups” issue. So…I trimmed/shaved them down a tad with my kitchen scissors. Worked like a dream. :-) Thanks for all of your great ideas!

  32. Like a few others, my batter turned out lumpy. I searched for cheesecake fixes and add two tablespoons of flour and pureed in my mixer until smooth. (The website says you should always mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth first and then add other ingredients slowly to avoid lumps.) They suggested a food processor but the mixer worked fine. Hopefully these will be worth all of the dirty dishes!

  33. these are in the oven as i type. im happy to say i found the reynolds baking cups you used and the nilla wafers fit perfectly! thanks, this is such a great, easy recipe.

  34. Have you ever frozen them?

  35. What grocery store did you find the Reynolds cups. I went to two and neither had them.

  36. Hello,
    mine turns out to be soggy and wet, what went wrong?? :(

  37. I want to make these for my niece’s birthday next week and want to know how long do these have to be refrigerated before you can eat them?

  38. So apparently Reno is anti- 2″ baking cups, but I wasn’t about to accept defeat! So I used a mini muffin tin and a generous amount of non-stick spray. The batter goes in first (only holds about 1 1/2 Tbsp) then the vanilla wafers upside down (so the flat side is facing up) on the top. Bake for 11 minutes and they popped out perfectly! And I really enjoyed that the top of the cheesecake came out flat from being in muffin tin, so it was a great platform for the cherries. No wrapper to peel, perfect amuse-bouche!

  39. hi two questions pls.. one what can u subsitute for the vanilla wafers and also we dont get candy melts here what can I use instead. many thanks.

  40. If i were to bake this in a pan as a whole cheesecake, how long do i need to bake it for?

  41. I decided to try these today but i only had mini vanilla waffers and regular cupcake cups. I layed out 3-4 mini vanilla waffes on the buttom and poured the cheesecake filling over. I hope it will turn out good. Im not sure on how long to bake them since they are much larger than yours (I was able to make 18 of them) so i will keep checking the oven until i think they are right. Thank you for the great recipe, i was wating the cheesecake filling as i was making them (I bet i could’ve made 20 of them lol)

  42. I am making 2 batches tomorrow for my husbands work and I am so excited! Thank you so much for sharing, I know they will be a hit!

  43. I am having trouble finding the foil baking cups… what stores would carry them?

  44. These are adorable and look so tasty! Thanks for sharing!

  45. I made these today and couldn’t find the right size cups ( I went to 2 different supermarkets) so I crushed the vanilla wafers by putting them in a ziploc bag and using a rolling pin and then put about 2 tbsp of the crushed wafers in the bottom of each 2.5 inch baking cups. Then, I pressed them down with the bottom of a glass and followed the recipe as listed. They came out delicious! Thought it was a good alternative to share in case you can’t find the 2 inch baking cups suggested :c)

  46. Just made these today for my mom’s birthday. Used some mini Oreos for the crust on some, mixed chocolate chips and cookie dough in some others. So much fun! My kids were psyched to help with these and eat something just their size. I’m excited to make different versions of these, maybe with peanut butter, chocolate, or lemon curd and raspberries. Awesome recipe, thank you Bakerella!

  47. Hello-
    do you think it would be okay to use a graham cracker crust in these instead of the nilla wafer?
    Thank you!

  48. Really tasty and Tuesday night easy. I made sure eggs were room temp as well and mixed them in one at a time. I could only find 2.5″ foil cups. I used a shortbread cookie (a vanilla wafer is just a small plain cookie- not super thin and not as heavy as shortbread) and it worked perfectly upside down to fit. Thanks!

  49. re the mini cheesecakes with the vanilla wafers. I have found the wafers too big for the mini cupcake liners —–UNTIL I turned the wafers upside down. Sounds too simple, but it makes a big difference. Hope this helps some.

  50. These are amazing, and go very well with blueberry pie filling, too. Thank you!

    Also: I made these without any crust, because most of my family is allergic to wheat. If anyone’s wondering, it worked beautifully.

  51. Oh you know what, I just found it, OOPS! Sorry. You do have a PRINT hyperlink.

  52. Can you please have a hyperlink on your page which allows us to just PRINT the recipe and not the entire section? Your site is great! One of the BEST I’ve been. Thank you!

  53. I think I can explain the difference in the number of cakes this recipe makes (if someone hasn’t done it already…couldn’t read thru all 100s of comments) It is unclear (to me at least, and maybe others) whether the recipe means 2 packages of cream cheese (for a total of 8 ounces) or 2 packages of 8 oz. cream cheese (for a total of 16 oz). The way I read it is that the total amount of cream cheese should be 8 oz. but as I can see that my mixture is not going to make 4 dozen cakes. So I think the recipe meant a total of 16 oz. Can anyone clear this up? Thanks…and I hope the cakes still come out as well with only 8 oz…keep your fingers crossed!

  54. You gave me a great idea for mothers day!

    Looks delicious!

    Thank you!

  55. How do you know when they’re done?

  56. I make these mini cheesecakes with swiss fudge cookies on the bottom. They come out to delicious!Mari

  57. I was wondering……. how long do you keep the cheesecake refrigerated?

  58. I have Trader Joe’s “Ultimate Vanilla Wafers” (all natural!) and “If You Care 100% Unbleached Large Baking Cups” which are exactly the same size as the standard Reynolds aluminum cups from the grocery store. The cookies fit perfectly! Can’t wait to make these as my son requested cheesecake for his birthday and I don’t want the hassle of serving a huge cheesecake. LOVE it! Just have to adjust the baking time. YUMMY! Also Im excited to try melting some jam to put on top (as Martha Stewart suggests) and thereby avoid the fake red color in canned cherries.

  59. I make these all the time. They are always the first to go at church functions. I don’t like how the wafers get soggy, so I just mix up a graham cracker crust recipe and use that. I have a rounded tablespoon that is perfect for portioning out the crust and pressing it into the cups. I also just use a regular cheesecake recipe and put it in a gallon ziploc bag and snip a hole in the corner to portion it into the cups.

    I don’t think I have ever used the foil liners; I always use the paper ones. I can adjust the liner for the holiday or party I am taking them to.

  60. Hi! I was going to make this recipe for my daughter, she loves cheesecake, but I cant find vanilla wafers, i saw that i could putt oreo bottoms instead, unfortunately, she doesnt like any chocolate, or oreos for that matter, is there any vanilla substitute? thanks (:

  61. Mine were lumpy. Next time I’ll beat the cream cheese until smooth first. still taste awesome though.
    Thank you!!!!!!!

  62. Love your website! I’ll try this recipe among others. I’m not a baker so this easy recipe is perfect. I can’t find Nilla wafers, what can I use instead? I read the comments and some used Oreo cookies as the crust. Do I just get 1 side of the cookie (without the vanilla filling) and put it in the baking cup? Hope you can help! Thanks :)

  63. These are wonderful! My mother and I made them for Thanksgiving, and now we’re addicted! We use slightly larger baking cups and a graham cracker crust.

  64. Everyone that’s having issues with the wafer being too small for the 2″ liner probably isn’t the liner. I just mesured my vanilla wafers and each one is 1.5″. Now I’m stuck with the 2″ reynolds liners and too small of a wafer.

  65. Thanks for this great recipe! I just made these for Christmas dessert and they were a huge hit. This was my first time making any kind of cheesecake and it turned out great. Thanks!

  66. Is there anything we could substitute for vanilla wafers? We’re in the UK and have never heard of these and don’t recognise them!

  67. Thank you for this super easy and delicious recipe. My 11 year old daughter loves to bake and made these cheesecakes using the Graham Ready Pie Crusts. They turned out amazing, she is taking them to the middle school teachers tomorrow morning. Thank you Bakerella :)

  68. i came across your webiste using Stumbleupon.com..and i JUST made these. they’re sUUPEr easy to make and taste delishhhh haha great job!

  69. I’m trying to make these cuties for thanksgiving:) Just wondering can i bake these cheesecake cups with paper baking cups instead of the foil ones??

  70. I just put these in the oven just as printed, and it made 17, not 4 dozen! Got the right size cups and everything. The batter tastes great, I’m sure they will be great.

  71. When i first made this, the top of the cheesecake always looked bubbly. is there any way i can get rid of this and have a flat, smooth cheesecake top?

  72. I can never find nilla wafers when I want to make these so I make these with the outside of an oreo. So good!

  73. HOW DO I TRANSPORT THESE TO THE PARTY. I HAVE THEM ON A TRAY .WHAT DO I COVER THEM WITH.I WAS THINKING PARCHMENT PAPER.IS THERE ANOTHER WAY.

  74. HOW I TRANSPORT THESE TO A PARTY .,ON A TRAY ,BUT HOW DO I COVER THEM .UNTIL I GET TO THE PARTY.

  75. These are adorable and I want to make them for the weekend and was just wondering how long they can stay in the fridge for without going bad?

  76. Hi there.. I am from Malaysia and I just found out about your blog…and I am already addicted to it!! I cannot NOT visit it everyday!!

    Can i just seek clarification on the recipes – it means that the total creamcheese needed is 16oz? coz the ones we have here in the general supermarket is a block of 250 grams.

    Appreciate your reply. Thanks. And i Love your blog!!

  77. Perfect Perfect Perfect! I DO NOT bake, but your site has seriously inspired me.
    I made these last week for a volunteer appreciation party. People felt very appreciated! So much so, that I only got a bite of one before someone swooped in and snagged the rest!

    I’m making them again tonight and taking them to a friends to watch the Packers vs. Bears tomorrow night! I’m guessing people will prefer these over the mini weenies :)

    Thank you!!!

  78. I’m making these right now and mine came out with lumps too! I should have let the cream cheese warm up more. I am letting the mix sit for a bit, and will try to mix again. How bad is it with a few lumps?

    And do the cookies stay crispy if made ahead a few days? What other mix-ins have people tried? I might try mini choco chips!

  79. Bakerella,
    I am in love with your recipes and blog! I am about to try these mini cheesecakes that look delicious and sooo cute! I’ll probably make them again too for my sisters birhtday in two days!
    Thanks,
    Katlyn

  80. I just found your recipe for mini cheese cakes and would like to make these for my friends going away party. I was thinking of doing a Keylime cheese cake and was wondering how I could tweak this recipe… Any help would be greatly appreciated. Your blog is wonderful and I really enjoy the photography as well. I only wish I could take photos like yours!!!
    Thank you!!

  81. I am trying these and some of your other recipes for my daughter’s 7th birthday, which is a tea party. Can you use any filling for this recipe? Will it turn out the same?

  82. I just happen to stumble upon this part of the site and my family has been making this for years since my mom got this recipe from somewhere. These are sooo good! We also use blueberry (which seems to be rare in the markets around here) and strawberry fillings as well. So good! :P The once my brother dipped the wafers into chocolate once and placed them at the bottom. It was interesting that way, but best to have it plain vanilla wafer!

  83. Oh Bakerella! A made your oreo truffles for today, and everyone went nuts over them! Thanks a lot!!

    My aunt makes these, but crushes the wafer before putting it in the pans.

    Absolutely delicious!!

  84. I just made these and I’m (impatiently) waiting for them to cool so I can pop them in the fridge. Can’t wait to taste them! They look great even though most of them sunk a tiny bit. :) Thank you for the recipe! <3

  85. i have made theses about 20 times since i found your website in may. everyone who i have made them for have loved them and asked for the recipe. so i just wanted to say thank you!! your website is adorable, and amazing. im so glad i found it!

  86. These look amazing! I am going to attempt them for a baby shower this weekend and was wondering if you can use “no bake cheesecake.”

    Thank you!

  87. Just what I was looking for!! Thanks for all your yummy recipes, they have never disappointed!

  88. The REYNOLDS CUPS are at WALMART next to the Reynolds foil on the foil and freezer bag isle not on the baking isle!!

  89. I’ve made a similar recipe for cheesecake bites and I’ve but brownie in the bottom instead of nilla wafers and its amazing! Just cook the brownies until they are still a little gooey and when they’ve cooled just a little i mold them into the bottom of the cup and pour cheesecake mixture over the top, bake normal. I’ve also used mini oreos, keebler fudge sandwiches, they’re a rounded square shape but hard to find because they’re new (taking the centers out of both of the cookies) and Teddy grahams. Just find something that fits in the bottom, I thought it was cute to see the little teddy bear shapes through the paper on the bottom.

  90. I made these for a party recently. I couldn’t find any of the mini cups, so I used regular cupcake-sized aluminum liners and just used crushed wafers in the bottom as the crust. These were absolutely delicious! Planning on making cherry and blueberry topped ones for July 4th…thanks for the recipe! :)

  91. I rubbed my Nilla wafer edges down to size on the little grater, they fit perfectly in the mini foil cupcake cups.

  92. Hi! Big fan of mini cheese cakes here! I make them every year for the holidays. I use the Philly cream cheese Recipe and they are wonderful! I also always use paper cups in a cupcake pan without problems :) and have used vanilla waffer cookies as my crust, even though they don’t cover the bottom completly, I find it’s not a big deal IMO. This last season I followed a new recipe to make a peanut butter cup version & it was awesome!! The recipe was by Jiff, and was in the kitchenAid mixer recipe book… However it called for a dry crushed Graham cracker crust and I found it was very dry, so next time I’ll mix in butter, or find a chocolate cookie :)

  93. My 4 yr. old daughter & I were just looking at this fabulous blog and decided to whip up some of these Mini Cheesecakes! Thank you so much for inspiring us!

  94. these are amazing! but I only have one problem.. why is it that everytime i make these, the tops always collapse/break, leaving ugly cracks on the surface? is there anyway i can keep this from happening?

  95. I made these in hopes of being a simple and easy dessert. The cheescake mix turned out being extremely lumpy (despite having warmed the cream cheese to room temperature). I’ve successfully made cheesecakes in the past, so I went back to my reliable recipe and they turned out great then. Cute idea, but definitely need to use a different cheesecake receipe.

  96. Bakerella – i plan to cook these with my friend soon, the issue is i live in England, and not being an expert in the baking business, i don’t know what the wafer’s are: i feel this could be a problem. would using biscuit crumbs ruin the effect and taste of these little bites of deliciousness ? x

  97. Im totally in love with cheese cake. When I saw this recipe I was inspired! Thank you so much! I have now learned how to make the most delicious tasting cheesecake I know! Thanks!

  98. These are amazing. I’ve been looking everywhere for a good mother’s day present and this is absolutely perfect. Thank you.

  99. Wow, I love your site
    I discovered him this morning
    and I’m addicted to it
    haha it’s been over 3 hours since I first looked at it

    This is just cookie heaven!!!

  100. I’ve been looking at this site for a long time and just noticed these baby cheesecakes. I’ve been making them for years! We actually make ours with graham cracker bottoms and lately I’ve been doing some with chocolate graham bottoms (yum!) and adding cocoa to the batter to make chocolate baby cheesecakes. I’ve also added mini chocolate chips to them too. They are totally delicious and super easy!

  101. I am desperate to make these for my Mother In-Law’s birthday but i can’t buy the vanilla wafers in the UK. What can you suggest i use instead?
    I think you are an absolute legend by the way, always inspiring me to get my bake on!
    Thank you.

  102. made these but instead of just nilla wafer crusts, I crumbled the nilla wafers and mixed them with melted butter until it made a graham cracker crust consistency. DELICIOUS and EASY!

    http://greathomeimprovementtips.com

  103. Instead of using sugar I use sweet condensced milk. It’s delicious, but I’m wondering if the nilla waffers floated up because this recepie may be more liquidy than yours. I’m making this for a party this Sat. Please help!

  104. I’ve made these before and the wafers floated up? What did I do wrong?

  105. well, i feel like an idiot! i just read the recipe for the 3rd time & saw where it says 4 dozen. sheesh……. : )

  106. just found your site. looking for things to make when i cook at youth camp for 60 teenagers (gasp!!). plan to make the oreo balls (oreo & nutter butter). interested in the mini cherry cheesecake bites but it doesn’t say how many it makes. do you remember? also, i tried the cake balls but had trouble with the cake flaking into the almond bark. they tasted good but were not very pretty. plus my almond bark kept getting too cool (i was using small quantity at a time to try to prevent this) and eventually seized up on me! suggestions?

  107. Hello Bakerella
    My brothers and I are doing a Easter Dinner for our family.
    We are going to do a Dessert Bar and i would like to make the individual cheesecake can they be made a day or two ahead of time and the liner remove before putting the filling on top and wrap and storage until Sunday,
    thank you
    tammy

  108. These are so cute (what else is new?) I just love mini things because I usually bake for large groups of people and more people eat my creations when they’re small. I guess its because they look less fattening.

  109. Hey! I love this recipe and can’t wait to try it :) I referenced it on my website and linked the recipe back to you also!! Your website is AMAZING and the goodies all look delicious!

  110. I have the 2 inch foil liners but the vanilla wafers are too big…..there are 2 different brands of wafers, which one are u using??? thanks

  111. I just wanted to let you know that I first made these a few months ago, and my husband not only remembered them, but requested them out of the blue one day. They turned out great both times for us. I love your recipes. :)

  112. hey I love your creations and they are simply awe-spiring! just wondering, does the ‘vanilla’ refer to vanilla essence? and did you buy the cherry pie filling or you made it yourself?(:

  113. HI! I’ve been making these for years with a slightly modified recipe and cant’t wait to try this one out. The past few times I have made them though my nilla wafers have floated to the top mid baking! AHHH! Have you had this problem at all?

  114. thank you for this yummy recipe! i used mini vanilla wafers in my mini muffin pan and they turned out fantastic! for the record, for me your recipe made more than 72 bite-sized cheesecakes. :D

  115. i was wondering for the cream cheese, what do you mean by 2 package ( 8oz)? does that mean 2 package of 8 oz or 1 package of 8 oz? and also i tried to make a smaller mixes because i dont need 42 mini cheesecake and it turned out horrible.

  116. I think I will be making these next week for our Scrapbooking night at my house! MMMMM what a wonderfully easy and yummy treat! Thank you!
    ~Sandy

  117. r’nt theese cute

  118. I loved these. I made them last night. I made my own strawberry sauce. You should try it.
    Put 10 strawberries, a little splash of milk, two Tbsp. of sugar, and 1 1/2 Tbsp. of strawberry jelly in a blender and bland for about 8 to 10 seconds. Then add three more large strawberries and blend for 2-3 seconds.
    It’s soooo good. Put the strawberry sauce on top of them and then add a tiny slice of strawberry for looks.. Super yummy.

  119. Hi there,

    I want to make these and wanted to know what the “shelf” life is for them? It’s Saturday and I have an event on Monday evening. I am trying to get a jumpstart but wondered if I didn’t top them yet, would they still taste great in the fridge? ..or should I wait?? LOVE your site!!

  120. Hi Bakerella,

    I just wanted to say thank you. I only ever really bake as a hobby, and I’ve been too busy to do anything lately, but after seeing these, I cannot not make them. I’m also going to make the Mini Cherry Cutie Pies and the Pie Pops. Thanks for the cool motivation!

  121. HI Bakerella, I am starting my own blog and I am going to make these yummy little things today… I am also posting them on my blog with credit to you. I was wonderinf if it would be ok for me to use the picture at the top of them in my blog? Thanks

  122. Thank you for this recipe! I am planning a 66th birthday party for my dad this weekend and wanted to have something besides the cake. I was thinking of having chocolate fondue, but with almost 40 guest, my fondue pot is just too small. I am going to make these instead and just can’t wait! The party is on Saturday night, but if I make them on Friday morning will they still be OK?

    Thanks a bunch!

  123. Hi bakerella.
    I was wondering, if i wanted to make regular sized cheesecake cupcakes, then how much batter/cheese do i put in the cups? how much should i put until the edge of the cups?

  124. My batch just came out of the oven!! I’m so sad because I think I overbaked them. I decided to bake them an extra “6 mins” as a post above said, but probably because mine were smaller, they’re all stiff… :( I hope they still turn out okay after I cool them. As for the cupcake sleeves, I dont know what size I used, just some I found at home (i think they’re about 1.5″ or so), but I was able to make about 35 cupcakes.. I used the graham cracker crust you provided for the original cheesecake, and that gave me about 40 crusts, so I have a few extra cupcake crusts… Oh wells, thats my fave part anyways! :)

    Great recipe otherwise. oh and I used about 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, and it wasn’t too sour, nor too sweet.

  125. I just made these for my boyfriend because it’s his birthday and he loves cheesecake.
    Well, they are AMAZING! I couldn’t resist and had one myself. They’re absolutely adorable and easy to make.
    I never bake and this is my first time making cheesecake, but these came out perfect. Thank you so much for this lovely recipe, I hope he likes them!

    The only problem I encountered was like everyone else I couldn’t find 2″ tins, and the cookies were too small to fit into them properly. I just crushed them up and mixed them with butter in the food processor and they were good to go.

  126. Ok, I have a BIG party tomorrow and have been stressing over the REYNOLDS® MINI SIZE BAKING CUPS
    Mini Foil – 2?, 48/pkg ! I can’t find them anywhere and I have searched within 100 mile radius!!!! I’m going to try to crumble the wafers like several people did…WISH ME LUCK!

  127. amazing… i absolutely love these seeing as i love all things cheesecake…i actually love all things cake if im honest!! i live in the uk and have a pretty hard time finding these vanilla wafers does anyone know of a substitute??? xxx thank you xxx

  128. What a fab blog…. I’m about to embark on a marathon baking session with your recipes! Thank you..!!

  129. the sugar is in powder or granulated normal sugar? thanks….

  130. Thanks for this recipe, Bakerella! This was the first recipe of yours that I decided to man-up and try, and it turned out GREAT!

    I used paper cups however, but made sure to use about 2 of them for each cup to make sure they’d hold their shape on the pan. I did also have to bake them for another 6 minutes or so, but that’s only because I like ’em firm.

    Used blueberry and cherry filling for the tops – friends ate them up, and I was impressed that such a great tasting dessert could come from such a simple no-botch recipe!

    Thanks again and keep up the good work! :-)

  131. oh my god that looks sooo awesome!! those look great and simple [which is good for me]
    =)
    **2 thumbs up**

  132. I am making these for a party this Saturday, but I have lots of stuff to make and bring. I am trying to plan ahead and was wondering how early can I make these and store them in my fridge? Will they still be as tasty if I make them 3-4 days before the party or should I make them the night before?

  133. Kelly D – Thank you!

  134. Thank you for another wonderful recipe. I have decided to whip up a few of these in a larger size for thanksgiving. Pumpkin cheese cakes of course. Possible with a caramel pecan topping.

    I also think it’s wonderful you still answer folks’ recipe questions months after you posted the recipe. It’s true – cakes = love.

  135. Well, I scoured the town and found no 2 inch foil liners, so I went with 2 1/2 inch. Since the vanilla wafers were too small, I twisted apart some Oreo-style vanilla sandwich cookies. They fit the 2 1/2 liners pretty well and made a yummy vanilla crust. My ten year old was happy to “dispose” of the cream middles for me. :)

    This combination made 20 cheesecakes that needed 25-30 minutes to cook in my oven (your mileage may vary). Now I can’t wait to try this with chocolate sandwich cookies!

  136. Currently making the cheesecake bites minus the cherry filling… I couldn’t find the 2in foil cupcake sheets either but I did find the 2 1/2 in ones and I just placed the vanilla wafer inside and shaped the foil sheet around it to make it smaller… On top of it all my oven isn’t working so I am currently baking it in my toaster oven!

    :)

  137. Ellen – something doesn’t sound right. I think you are using the wrong size cups. They are miniature size.

    Kat – The liners used for these are specific. The label says 2 inch on the box, but they are miniature foil cups in size. One single regular size vanilla wafer (nilla brand) will fit almost perfectly in the bottom of the cup.

  138. I just tried making these and so far, so good.
    However, your comment about how they make 48 bothers me because I followed the recipe and I could only make 12.
    Other than that, thanks for sharing a quick and delicious dessert recipe!

  139. The problem is the wafers come in different sizes so thats why they dont fit in the 2 inch foil liners. I buy the mini vanilla wafers and they fit in. The regular vanilla wafers do not fit in the 2 inch cupcake foil liners. I have been using the 2 inch foil cupcake liners for years and know the problem well with the regular wafers being too large. Also 2 different brand wafers are different sizes also. Hope this helps.

  140. I can’t wait to make these! They would be great for parties and get-togethers! I love cheesecake…YUM!!!!

  141. I have recently tried this recipie and it worked marvelously! I am next going to use an oreo cookie bottom for the crust and sprinkle some crushed cookie on top!

  142. I just made this ones and OMG they are delicious!! thank you sooo much for the great recipes and inspiration!!
    I (like many others) couldn’t find the 2″ mini foil liners, the only had large and jumbo size (whatever that means) so I bought the large ones and I crumble the nilla wafers and mixed them with melted butter and made a traditional crusting, put it at the bottom of the liners, squeeze with spoon so it would settle and add the cheesecake mix. They turned out GREAT! everybody loved them.
    Thanks!!!

  143. I have to make these for my husband! Cheesecake is his favorite and I really think he will love these. I’ve tried your cake ball recipe and he loved those too. Thanks so much for the great ideas!

  144. Just found your blog. You are ridiculously creative. Love it all. Here is a link to a website that sells the mini foil liners you use. In case people are still having trouble finding them.

    http://www.shopbakersnook.com/m5_view_item.html?m5:item=6091#

  145. Thank a lot

  146. sarah.a – that’s a vanilla wafer. It’s a cookie.

    Rianz – maybe just a little.

  147. My mom has made this (regular cupcake sized) for as long as I can remember. They are delicious! In her version, she adds a dollop of sour cream beneath the cherries. It’s a pretty, tangy addition.

  148. Hi bakerella,
    tried these over the weekend..was a definite hit..even amongst the non-cheese lovers..1 thing though, when the cakes came out of the oven, the middle of every little cakes sunk..was it suppose to happen this way??

  149. nice work what the round thing is it a cake in the second picture ?

  150. Update! :-) Tried a different recipe, today, off the crushed graham cracker box, and it worked quite well. This time, I melted the cream cheese and beat it until it was fluffy, before adding the suger and vanilla, and mixing well, then adding the egg (one at a time) and beating well, then adding the sour cream in the recipe. Turned out great; my only regret? I halved the original recipe, but cooked it as long as the whole recipe required. Opps. :-) Still tastes like cheescake though; I guess it’s a learning process!

  151. hmmm…made these, and it sounded delish, but I let my cream cheese sit at room temperature for at least an hour, and it still turned out chunky, like Jessica in comment 44 said. I am super-hungry for cheesecake and will have to try these again, since it just turned out like a bunch of little cream cheese chunks floating in an eggy, vanilla souflee! :-) Ha! But then again, this is my first cheesecake; when I make it soon, I’ll try and let you know if I improved! :-) Thanks for the simple recipe!

  152. You can use these with regular cups. Just bake longer.
    And you’ll need to find something different for the bottom or either crush up the vanilla wafers.

  153. Please help! I am planning on making these for my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend this Oct. 28, and I have a perfect cupcake stand I just bought, but it’s only for regular sized cupcakes/muffins. Can you please tell me the ingredients I would need for this recipe to make regular sized cupcakes instead of mini? Please, this would be absolutely perfect and very helpful for me, I’ve been planning this for a while now but didn’t think about the difference in the amount of ingredients up until a couple of days ago. Thank you!<3

  154. Is there any way to make these not mini? Like any bottom substitute or any kind of cookie/vanilla wafer or anything that would fit a normal sized muffin cup? And how much cream cheese would I need to put in then, if I tried using a normal sized one? Thank you!

  155. Hi i love this idea i’m going to this for family any tips before i start this lovely idea!!!!!!!!

  156. It sounds like your cream cheese had not reached room temperature before you started mixing.

  157. I tried making these for a baby shower and failed miserably! They filling turned into a chunky mess when I mixed everything together. Was semi-hopeful that it would still bake up well, but no such luck.

    Any tips on how to avoid this?

  158. Cat – I haven't had a need to freeze them. They will last in the refrigerator for several days.

  159. I've tried these yesterday and they came out great!
    I only used crumbled cookies with some butter because i couldn't find cookies that fit my bakingcups.
    I used cherrypie filling voor half and lemoncurd on the other half.
    Both tasted delicious!

  160. I've never made any type of cheesecake before, but these look so yummy, I'm going to try.
    One question I have is, can you freeze the cheesecakes once they're cooked and set (without the topping)? Or does freezing ruin it?

  161. Hi Bakerella!! I tried these really yummy treats but since i couldnt find the waffers i made them with regular cheesecake crust and they turned out delicious! Thank you so much for posting these wonderful recipes with awsome pictures!

    Lots of love from Dominican Republic

  162. I love using Lorna Doones for the crusts on mini-cheesecakes too. I know they are square, so kind of the wrong shape, but I haven’t had any issues with that. The cookies keep a bit of their crispiness without getting soggy and the shortbread taste is SUCH a compliment to any cheesecake flavor!

  163. If you find the lemon taste too strong, just add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Also, I found that the 100-calorie pack of graham crackers or 100-calorie pack of oreo cookies allows you to put more cheesecake filling in each mini muffin tin. On the graham cracker cheesecakes, I put a couple of cherries from the pie filling. On the oreo cheesecakes, I put chocolate-covered strawberries. They both look great.

  164. i added a little bit of honey on top of it, so it wouldn’t taste so sour. now i personally think honey and cheesecakes are not the best combination :(

    i didn’t add the fruit toppings. i will def try it with less lemon juice next time and fruits on top.

    i love your recipes :) easy stuff for a busy college student!

  165. angel – I hate that because they are so good. Try again with less juice.

    Did you add the fruit topping? That probably helps counter any lingering l.j. taste.

  166. my little cheesecakes came out a little too sour, the lemon taste just kicks you when you bite into it :( i might have ate a little more than a tablespoon of lemon juice.
    i’m not very fond of it, but my sister likes it (or maybe she’s just trying to be nice).

    oh well, i’m going to try again soon :) this time with less lemon juice.

  167. hello Bakerella :)
    i spent my evening making these little cheesecakes, and they are baking right now while i am leaving this comment for you.

    the batter tasted good, haha! my sister nearly ate the whole thing until i reminded her there was raw egg in it.

    i’ll let you know how it turns out, thank you so much for the recipe!

  168. You need the eggs. I guess you could sub the mascarpone. But they are pretty good as is.

  169. And can I also add like maybe some mascarpone cheese to make it richer? Your tips would be really helpful here. It’s gonna be my first time baking and I want it perfect for my wife :)

  170. I am just wondering what difference does it make when you mix it with egg or not? Thanks, Bakerella!

  171. shortyp333 – yum

    cedens – 48 minis

    Anonymous – hmmm. not sure. I’d have to make them again.

    lainers – I keep them in the fridge. They’re cheesecakes.

  172. how long do these need to be refrigerated?

  173. I used…regular paper cupcakes because I couldn’t find the foil ones – they worked out as well and didn’t spread too much. Couldn’t find the 2″ ones, in Canada they’re only listed as small, medium, large, jumbo. I used Jumbo (cuz that’s what I had in the house) but the medium ones will fit a wafer as well. Used brown sugar instead of white. Stupid easy to make and they taste amazing. Still trying to figure out how the batter makes 48 cupcakes though…I put in one tablespoon (granted, heaping but still) and ended up with 21 cupcakes…Was it maybe supposed to be 3 teaspoons of batter instead of 3 tablespoons?

  174. So how many “cakes” does this recipe make?

  175. Love them! I added a few mini
    chips (butterscotch and toffee to
    some – choco to others – before adding the cheesecake mixture. They
    melt in the oven and make a delish
    layer! Everyone loved them!

  176. JOLYNN – what about oreo bottoms

    Tanyia – these mini foil cups can be hard to find. But, I’m glad you made it work anyway.

  177. I definitely bought the wrong size, so I actually just made them cupcake sized and crumbled up the Nila wafers, but my gosh these were yummy AND everyone including picky dh loved them! I even blogged about it and took a pic if you care to stop by :)

  178. hello! i love your webbie!(:
    im a year 2 culinary student in singapore. and i thought this is a very creative way to showacse your talent! :)
    anw, is it possible to not use nilla wafers? we dont have them easily available in singapore( i’ve searched for a long long long time) and i woud like to not use graham crumbs for a change. any ideas?

  179. 2 pkgs. – 8 oz. each and they’re easy.

  180. These would be so fun to give to friends! Quick question.. would the cream cheese be 8oz. each package or total?
    Thanks!

  181. court – And they’re really yummy!

  182. Oh my GOODNESS! I love your blog. My mother’s birthday is in about a week and I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what to make her. These mini cheesecakes will be perfect!

  183. Katie – I checked the package I use. It’s a reynolds brand foil cup and is 2″. They also make a 2.5″ so make sure it isn’t that one. The vanilla wafers fit perfectly.

    From their website:

    REYNOLDS® MINI SIZE BAKING CUPS
    Mini Foil – 2″, 48/pkg

  184. I tried to make this as well and purchased the 2″ foil baking cups. They were much wider in dimension than the wafers. Perhaps it’s the 1.25″ cups that should be used instead? I ended up crumbling the wafers in large chunks, sprinkling them on the bottom, and then filling with the cream cheese mix. It made 24 mini cheesecakes in the 2″ cups. Just an FYI! (Delicious no matter what size though!)

  185. I haven’t tried it with the paper cups, so I can’t really say. But once they cool and are refrigerated they are firm like cheesecake.

    I do think the aluminum is helpful, though.

  186. hi. i was wondering will the creamcheese be very soft and creamy after taking it out from the oven?
    I cant seems to find alumnium baking cups around and was wondering if paper cups possible?

  187. I haven’t worked with caramel, so I don’t know about the centers. But if your visiting in 9 days, that gives you eight to experiment. Good luck.

  188. Hello! I just discovered your blog.. FANTASTIC! :) I was looking for a recipe like this for a while now and finally I’ve found it, my only question is that I was hoping to make mini caramel cheesecakes, not cherry; do you think it would work (and taste okay) if I would place one of those caramel chews (square) in the center, and top with caramel sauce? or would that be too much? Im hoping to make them for my boyfriend who Im going to visit in nine days :)!!
    Megan

  189. anonymous – this makes about 48

    anonymous – The mini foil-lined cups are thick enough to stand by themselves. So I just placed them all on a cookie sheet.

  190. i just found your blog and i love it! i’m hooked onto it.

    for these mini cheesecakes, what kind of baking pan did you use??

  191. hey bakerella, i just wanted to say that you are awesome! you really inspire me to be more creative with my baking. thank you so much.

    i also want to know how many people can this recipe serve up to?

    btw, i love love love your blog. please dont stop posting. you are great!

  192. Waaa! I love it! Your G-pa is so cute, and I love the way you use the nilla wafers as a mini crust. SO easy! I’ve loved following your blog. :)
    –Cassie

  193. Sure. Make sure you find the right size mini cups for these. They are aluminum and made by reynolds. The vanilla wafers fit perfectly in the bottom.

  194. These look so scrumptious! I will be attempting to make them this weekend. But I was just wondering, if I would like to make only 2 dozen, do I just cut all the ingredients in half? Thanks!

  195. Thank you Hilda from Spain. My grandfather has quite a sweet tooth. And he loved these. His favorite though, is peanut butter fudge that I make for him every year at Christmas.

  196. I´ve just found this MARVELLOUS BLOG. Congratulatiosn for all recipes and your art in kitchen.

    The photo of your grandfather is really tender, he looks so happy.

    Scuse my bad english, but there is more than 20 years I don´t write or speak.

    Best wishes from Spain

    Hilda

  197. Sara – I’m glad things worked out. I think you’ll like the other two recipes, too.

  198. Bakerella,

    Thank you so much for your quick response! As you can probably tell from my first comment that I am a perfectionist at heart, but I’m trying to do some self rehab on that front. I went ahead and tried your recipe with the many different baking cup sizes mixed with the many different wafer sizes. Although they were considered a tasty success, I still plan to give it a go with the products that you suggested. I was proud enough of this batch though to share them with the neighbors who were quite impressed (that I was able to bake something to cute looking with a 5 month old on my hip) and pleased because everyone thought they tasted great! I have been further inspired by your website and beautiful baking masterpieces that I plan on trying the red velvet cake balls and oreo truffles this week! Thanks for being so inspiring and helpful!

  199. Sara – A baking emergency. I’ll try to help. – It sounds like you have the wrong size. The vanilla wafers fit perfectly into these.

    Here is a link to show you the kind I used:
    http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/product.asp?cat_id=1337?_id=1794

    They were in a box like the green ones that are on that page, but they are foil instead of green.

    REYNOLDS® MINI SIZE BAKING CUPS
    Mini Foil – 2″, 48/pkg

    I found them at the grocery store. Hope that helps some. Maybe you can try to break the wafers down and salvage what you started. Good luck!

  200. I’m currently trying to make this recipe and find that the wafers don’t fit the mini baking cups, they stretch them out horribly. Did this happen to you? So I went and got the regular size baking cups and some mini nilla wafers hoping that I could find a combination that would work easily, but no such luck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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