Mini Caramel Cheesecakes Food

MINI CARAMEL CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, apple juice concentrate, sugar and ice cream topping until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. , Spoon into tart shells. Drizzle with additional ice cream topping and sprinkle with almonds if desired. Refrigerate until servings.

BITE-SIZE SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Combine graham crumbs, brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt and butter; press onto bottoms of 24 paper-lined mini muffin cups.
• Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Add egg; beat just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, adding about 1 Tbsp. cream cheese batter to each.
• Bake 15 min. or until centers of cheesecakes are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Place caramels in small heatproof bowl. Add milk and 1/4 tsp. of the remaining salt. Place over pan of boiling water, making sure boiling water does not touch bottom of bowl. Cook until caramels are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.
• Drizzle about 1 tsp. caramel sauce over each cheesecake; sprinkle with remaining salt. Refrigerate 1 hour.

MINI CHOCOLATE-PECAN-CARAMEL CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 24-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the butter and sugar, then pulse until well combined. Distribute the crumbs among the prepared cups, about 2 tablespoons in each, and press to firm them up.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Mix in the sugar and eggs. Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the salted caramel and mix again. Distribute the batter among the muffin cups, about 3 tablespoons per cup. Tap the tin on the counter to distribute the batter evenly.
• Bake, watching to make sure they don't burn, until set in the middle, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then chill for 2 hours.
• For the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in a saucepan until warm and bubbles begin to form around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over the chocolate and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Mix until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
• Place about 1 tablespoon ganache on top of each cheesecake. Sprinkle the top with the pecan pieces and mini chocolate chips. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon caramel and freeze, uncovered, for 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Allow to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

SALTED CARAMEL MINI CHEESECAKES (VIDEO)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 24-count cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
• Prepare the crust. Place graham crackers into a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and pulse again until the crumbs are well coated. Drop a heaping teaspoon of cookie crumbs into each liner. Using the back of a spoon or a shot glass, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom to create a firm crust.
• Prepare the filling. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature. Place the cream cheese into a mixer bowl and beat on medium/high speed for about 8 minutes until the cream cheese is light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients: sugar, egg and egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat for another 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl often, until mixture is smooth and uniform.
• Fill each liner to the top with cheesecake filling. Transfer the cupcake pan into a large baking sheet. Add water to the baking sheet to create a waterbath for the cheesecakes; this will help prevent cracking. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature.
• Prepare the topping. Place the caramels into a small bowl and melt in the microwave until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Drop a small dollop onto each cheesecake. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag, cut off a small tip and drizzle over the caramel. Add salt flakes while the chocolate is still melted. If desired, use my 'Homemade Caramel Sauce' recipe instead of caramels.
• Set cheesecakes into refrigerator to set completely. Keep refrigerated and remove about 30 minutes serving.

LAYERED MINI CARAMEL CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Place 1 vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each muffin cup. Place the remaining cookies in a container and crush to crumbs.
• Place caramels in a medium saucepan; add milk. Heat on low, stirring occasionally until melted, about 10 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a bowl using an electric mixer until cheesecake filling is smooth. Distribute 2 tablespoons of the filling into each muffin cup.
• Stir two-thirds of the melted caramel mixture into the remaining cheesecake filling; mix well. Distribute 2 tablespoons of caramel-cheesecake mixture into the muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheesecake is set, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature, at least 25 minutes.
• Reheat the remaining caramel sauce until warm, about 2 minutes. Drizzle onto the cheesecakes. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs on top. Remove cheesecakes from the muffins tins; place on a serving platter. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 4 hours.

MINI CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425ºF.
• Bake pastry shells as directed on package; cool.
• Meanwhile, beat Neufchatel and 1/4 cup milk with mixer until blended. Add dry pudding mix and remaining milk; beat 2 min. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove top and doughy center from each pastry shell; discard removed pastry. Fill shells with pudding mixture; top with apples and caramel topping. Serve with pastry tops.