Bite Sized Ricotta Cheesecakes

I live in house of cheesecake lovers.  Big, small, bite-sized or sliced, it really doesn’t matter.  Up until today, the household favorites have always been the raspberry ( or chocolate ) swirl cheesecakes (here) and the  mini mascarpone – chocolate cheesecakes (here).  However, today, we have added yet another version of a cheesecake to the top of the list.

I had saved this recipe from a back issue of donna hay magazine.  Yet, another recipe in my overflowing “file” of all things edible that I hope to accomplish in this life time!  I was reminded of it when I was reading Patricia’s blog, Technicolor Kitchen, and of course, she beat me to it!  Hers looked perfectly perfect.

I wanted to give these a trial run for an upcoming dinner event I have next month. My three trustworthy taste testers gave them the thumbs up!  And, I am confident you will too!

Vanilla + Macadamia Crumble Mini Cheesecakes


Ingredients

cheese cake
370g ricotta cheese
300g cream cheese
1 1/3 cups (267g) caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

base
125g shortbread cookies ( I used these )
1/2 cup (50g) almond meal

45g unsalted butter, melted

crumble topping
100g shortbread cookies
1/2 cup (70g) unsalted macadamia nuts
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbls. brown sugar, packed
50g unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• preheat oven to 285*
for the base:
• in the bowl of a food processor, process the cookies ( I had some lemon scented sables in the freezer that I baked off, however any shortbread would work ) until crushed.  add the almond meal and the butter and process until combined.
• press 2 tsp. of the crumbs into mini silicone muffin tins using a 1/8 cup measuring cup ( or a small bottle) flatten the crumbs into the bottom of the pans. refrigerate the crumbs until ready to use.
for the cream cheese filling:
• place the ricotta and the cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. add the sugar, eggs and the vanilla and process until combined and smooth.
• pour the mixture almost to the top of the baking cup.  set the silicone muffin pans on a baking sheet.
• bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set.  rotating pans half way through.
 make the crumb mixture:
• while the cheesecakes are baking, place the cookies, macadamia nuts, vanilla, sugar, and the butter in the bowl of the food processor and process until roughly chopped.
• after baking the cheesecakes, top them with the crumb mixture and bake for another 10 minutes or until the tops are golden. 
• cool completely to room temperature.
• once cooled, place trays in the freezer.  once frozen the cheesecakes pop out beautifully.  serve at room temperature!

The Urban Baker / SusanSalzman.com

Showing 14 comments
  • Betty
    Reply

    these are too cute :O)

  • Victoria
    Reply

    At my home too, there are cheesecakes lovers… This recipe would be a success! In small bites, it’s lovely! I’ll keep your recipe :)Thanks!

  • Reply

    OMG, these mini cheesecakes look amazing!! I think many would have to be consumed in one sitting 🙂

  • Jess--Sugar High
    Reply

    I’ve never seen a cheesecake made with ricotta, sounds interesting! The vanilla and macadamia crumble sounds like a fantastic topping

  • Carolyn
    Reply

    These look darling AND delicious! And cheesecake is something I can modify to make low carb. Thanks for the inspiration!

  • MyLastBite
    Reply

    Oh, these were so good. I don’t even like sweets and I couldn’t stop eating!

  • Patricia Scarpin
    Reply

    Susan, they are little gems! So pretty! I’m so glad you like these – I really like the idea of adding ricotta with the cream cheese.Beautiful!

  • Jackie
    Reply

    These are so delicious! I was able to steal one the other night!!! Yummy! I am going to make them myself soon!

  • Kim
    Reply

    What’s so cool about bite sized desserts is the fact that you can eat a couple of them without feeling too guilty… I love cheese cakes and the version with ricotta is probably more delicate, yum!

  • ~Lisa~
    Reply

    Oh I must try these! I love tiny cheesecakes! Ricotta and macadamia oh my!

  • M.
    Reply

    I am a cheesecake lover myself, and this recipe is just beautiful.

  • The Urban Baker
    Reply

    I loved reading all your comments. Keep them coming!Betty – so cute, right?!Victoria – small bites are dangerous but oh so deliciousMarla – you are so right!Jess – I also added some toasted coconut! So goodCarolyn – yes, you can alter the crust to an almond flour crust. would be so good with an almond crumb topping!Jo – I will fill your freezer with sweets and bring you to the other side!Patricia – as always, you are my muse, my inspiration! xxxJackie – you need to come by once a week and raid the freezer!Kim – bite sized anything is so good. especially cheesecake. perfect for our girlish figures!Lisa – please try these and let me know how much you like themM – from one cheesecake lover to another, bon appetite! Have a lovely weekend, everyone!xx

  • Tom Baker
    Reply

    Looks great but the size is so small I would most likely eat all of them at once. I LOVE cheesecake.

  • Ingrid
    Reply

    I’m sold on any kind of cheesecake! 🙂

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