Peppermint Cheesecake Cups

5 from 3 votes

These gluten free Peppermint Cheesecake Cups are a festive Christmas dessert! They're topped with chocolate ganache and crushed candy canes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Cooling Time:2

Total Time2 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: mini peppermint cheesecakes, peppermint cheesecake bites, gluten free cheesecake cups,

Servings:

Calories: 383kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Equipment

2 Muffin Tins
Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer

Ingredients

For The Cheesecake Cups:

3 cups gluten free graham crackers crushed, or regular graham crackers if not gluten free
2 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter can use salted butter
16 oz. cream cheese room temperature, equals 2 8 oz. packages
1 cup sour cream room temperature
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. peppermint extract
½ cup peppermint candies crushed

For The Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp. instant coffee optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Cheesecake Cups:

Place 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese and 1 container of sour cream on the counter and allow to come to room temperature (1-2 hours prior to baking).
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
To make the crust, place 11.5 oz. of gluten free graham crackers (or regular graham crackers if not gluten free) (this equals about 3 cups of graham crackers) into a food processor.
Place the lid on the food processor and pulse the graham crackers until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour the pulsed graham crackers into a large mixing bowl and add 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. kosher salt. Stir the mixture until completely combined.
Melt 6 Tbsp. of unsalted butter (or salted butter if that's what you have on hand) and drizzle it into the graham cracker mixture a bit at a time, stirring until combined. Continue until all of the butter is completely incorporated into the mixture.
Place a standard-sized baking liner into each cavity of 2 muffin pans (making for a total of 24 baking liners).
Spoon 3 Tbsp. of the graham cracker mixture into each muffin cavity. Press the graham cracker mixture down with the back of a spoon. Continue with the remainder of the graham cracker mixture.
Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and whip on medium speed using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer (you can also use an electric hand mixer) or until it's light and fluffy.
Add 1 cup of sour cream and whip on medium speed for another minute, or until combined. Add 4 eggs, ¾ cup sugar, and 2 tsp. of peppermint extract to the bowl. Whip on medium speed for another minute or two or until the mixture is completely combined.
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and whisk any remaining cream cheese into the mixture.
The cheesecake filling should be smooth, creamy, and easily pourable.
Spoon 3 Tbsp. of the cheesecake filling into each muffin tin. Make sure the filling does not overflow the muffin cavities, or it will spill out as the cheesecake cups are baking.
Place the muffin tins into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes.
Bake just until the center of each cheesecake cup is set. Remove the muffin tins from the oven and allow the cheesecake cups to cool completely (this takes 1-2 hours).

For The Chocolate Ganache:

Place a few cups of water into the bottom portion of the double boiler and bring to a low boil. Place the top portion of the double boiler on top of the lightly boiling water and pour 1 cup of good quality chocolate chips into it.
Once the chocolate begins to melt, slowly pour ¾ cup of heavy whipping cream into the pan, stirring with a small whisk (the mixture will look clumpy at first). Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth (this may take a minute or two).
Add ¼ tsp. of instant coffee granules to the ganache and whisk until completely combined (this step is optional). Remove the top portion of the double boiler from the stove top, turn off the heat, and set aside.
To crush the peppermint candies, place 8-10 candy canes or peppermint rounds (make sure brand is gluten free if gluten is an issue for you) into a Ziploc bag.
Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, smash the peppermint candies until they break into small pieces.
To Serve: Remove the cooled cheesecake cups from the baking liners and place onto a serving tray. Drizzle a generous amount of the chocolate ganache over the top of each one. Sprinkle desired amount of the crushed peppermint candies on top of each cheesecake cup.

Notes

This recipe can be cut in half if needed. Cutting the recipe in half yields 12 cheesecake cups.

Make sure to choose chocolate chips and peppermint candies that are gluten free if gluten is an issue for you.

Be sure to allow the cream cheese and sour cream to come to room temperature before mixing, or the cheesecake filling will be clumpy.

Allow the cheesecake cups to cool completely before topping or transferring to the refrigerator for storage.

Nutrition