These Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake bites have a buttery graham crust and a creamy vanilla and pumpkin swirl, baked in a muffin tin for 24 perfectly portioned fall treats.
Place the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice in a medium-sized bowl and mix together until combined.
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Evenly distribute the mixture amongst 2 lined muffin tins (24 in total). Pack down the crumbs with your fingers and set them aside.
Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until fluffy in a large bowl.
24 ounces cream cheese
Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, flour, and vanilla. Beat this until thoroughly combined and scoop out about 1/2 of the mixture and set aside.
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to the bowl. Mix until combined.
11 ounces pure pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Fill each liner halfway with the vanilla mixture, saving just a tiny amount for the pretty swirl design on top (optional).
Fill them almost to the top with the pumpkin mixture.
Place two tiny dollops of the vanilla mixture on top, and with a skewer, drag the orange through the white to create a swirl effect.
Bake for 18-23 minutes, until the cheesecakes are a tiny bit jiggly.
Let sit on the counter until cooled completely. Serve immediately with whipped cream if desired.
Notes
Make sure your cream cheese is really soft, it helps it blend well and not become lumpy.
Beat the cream cheese first, to make sure that it is smooth, makes everything come together nicely.
Make sure that these are completely cooled before topping with optional whipped cream.
Do not over-bake, you still want a slight jiggle to the cheesecakes themselves as it will still cook internally once it’s removed from the oven.