Mini Cheesecakes with Vanilla Wafers Recipe
These Mini Cheesecakes with Vanilla Wafers are a delightful and easy-to-make dessert featuring a creamy cheesecake filling atop crunchy vanilla wafer bases. Perfect for portion control and customizable with your favorite toppings like fresh berries, pie filling, or whipped cream, these mini treats bake quickly and chill for a perfect, rich bite-sized indulgence.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Base
- 24 Nilla Wafer Cookies
Optional Toppings
- Canned pie filling
- Fresh berries
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate or caramel sauce
Instructions
- Make cheesecake filling: Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat 16 ounces of softened cream cheese together with ¾ cup granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Then, mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Optionally, you may add a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice for a slight tart balance.
- Prepare the muffin pan with wafers: Line a standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners or use a silicone muffin pan without liners for easy removal. Place 2 Nilla Wafers at the bottom of each liner or cup to create the base of your mini cheesecakes.
- Fill the muffin cups: Divide the prepared cheesecake batter evenly among the 12 cups, filling each about ¼ inch below the top to allow space for rising during baking.
- Bake the cheesecakes: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cheesecake center is set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking to maintain creamy texture.
- Cool and chill: Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Then, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm to finish setting.
- Add toppings and serve: Once chilled, top each mini cheesecake with your favorite toppings such as canned pie filling, fresh berries, whipped cream, or drizzles of chocolate or caramel sauce before serving.
Notes
- Alternative bases: Instead of Nilla Wafers, you can press about ¼ inch of graham cracker crust made from 2/3 cup crushed graham crackers, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar into the bottom of silicone muffin cups. Alternatively, use an Oreo cookie as a base and sprinkle crushed Oreos on top.
- Lemon juice: Adding a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice to the batter is optional but recommended to add a hint of tartness and balance the cream cheese flavor.
- Extra mini cheesecakes: For smaller mini cheesecakes using mini cupcake pans, break the vanilla wafers in half and use one half per cup. Bake for about 10 minutes and this will yield approximately 36 mini cheesecakes.
Keywords: mini cheesecakes, vanilla wafer cheesecakes, easy cheesecake recipe, mini desserts, bite-size cheesecakes, no crust cheesecakes, quick cheesecake