Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes combine two favorite desserts into one delicious and adorable bite-size treat!
Two of my very favorite things are brownies and cheesecake. So, combining them into these Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes is something worthy of quite a bit of excitement!
These little cheesecakes are so, so good. The rich chocolate and sweet cheesecake are perfect companions for bite-size deliciousness. They’re also simple to make, which shouldn’t be that surprising because brownies and cheesecakes are two of the easiest batters to make.
This brownie batter is a bit on the thick side, which works well for a cheesecake base. You only need a small amount per cheesecake, and I highly recommend using a small scoop for quicker and more accurate portioning. You’ll need about 2 teaspoons of batter per cup. If you have a scoop that size, then this is a perfect time to put it to use.
The cheesecake portion of these little beauties is a fairly straightforward cheesecake batter. I like the addition of sour cream for a more interesting flavor and smooth texture. Again, a scoop is your friend for portioning the batter quickly and easily. A scant tablespoonful per cup is just right.
While I like to use liners for these little cheesecakes, that’s not absolutely necessary if you’d rather not use them. Just keep in mind that the liners do make it much easier to remove the cheesecakes from the pan. They also make the cheesecakes nicely portable and shareable.
A little dollop of sweetened whipped cream is the perfect way to finish these little beauties. If you want a little more garnish, try sprinkles, nuts, or chocolate toffee bits as you see in these photos.
Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes are magical because they look far more complicated than they actually are. Plus, they’re absolutely delicious, which is sure to bring many requests to make more. You can just sit back and take the compliments, reveling in your knowledge of how easy it was to make them.
Video Tutorial: Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes
Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes
Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes combine cheesecake and brownies into a bite-size treat!
Ingredients
For the brownie crust:
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces (56g) semisweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the cheesecake filling:
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- sweetened whipped cream, for garnish
- toffee bits, nuts, sprinkles, or other topping for garnish
Instructions
To make the brownie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 mini muffin pans with paper liners. (Or grease the cups if not using liners.)
- Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at half-power in 30-second increments until the butter melts and the chocolate melts when stirred. Stir well. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture. Add the flour and salt, and stir just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, using about 2 teaspoons per cup.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly set. Set aside.
To make the cheesecake filling:
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the sour cream.
- Divide the cheesecake batter evenly among the muffin cups, using about a scant tablespoonful per cup.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are set.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
- If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream and other garnishes before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
Brownie crust recipe adapted from Land O'Lakes.
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11 Comments on “Brownie Bottom Mini Cheesecakes”
Can this be made in a pan? If so, what size? Thanks! Can’t wait!💖
It would require a bit of scaling for each layer. If it were me, I would just use the brownie crust from Brownie Bottom Chocolate Cheesecake and the filling from Vanilla Bean Cheesecake in a 9-inch springform pan.
I love brownie cheesecake ! These mini brownie bottom cheesecakes look so delicious and tempting!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I do have a question: rather than doing this recipe in a mini pan how would you adjust this for a regular muffin pan?
I thank you for any suggestions!
Karen
Hi, Karen. I’ve not tried it, so I can’t say for sure. I think it would probably work for about 12 regular muffins. I’d try putting twice as much of each batter in each cup. You’ll likely need to increase the baking time for the cheesecake, too, but maybe just by a few minutes.
Hi Jennifer,
These look amazing! Â Could they be made ahead of time and then freeze until needed? Â I am thinking of making now and freezing until Thanksgiving. Â One last dessert to make that week.
Thank you so much for such amazing recipes!
I think they would be fine to freeze without the topping, Patti.
Hi, can you use a boxed brownie mix for the bottom layer?
Hi, Debbie. I’ve not tried that, so I can’t say how well it would work. A standard-size brownie mix would make a lot more brownie batter than you’d need, so you’d likely either waste some or need another use for the remainder.
I wasn’t convinced the brownies were set after 8 minutes but found at 10 minutes they were done. So, for my second batch I followed the directions and they were great!
I’m glad you liked them, Lorelei!