Mini Cheesecakes

Last week slipped by me and I barely realized it until a while later, and I was determined not to let this week do the same thing. This week was pretty busy as well with all of the things we needed to do to get ready for the military ball we had this weekend (which was amazing), but about halfway through the week I got this crazy strong urge to do some baking, and this recipe was something I'd been wanting to try for a while. My husband is a huge fan of pumpkin pie, and I like to mess around with it just a bit and put that flavor into other fun things, so I decided to make Mini Pumpkin Pie Frosted Cinnamon Cheesecakes. They were amazing, they didn't look the greatest so I did not get a good picture to share, (note, when you frost them either do it with a knife or a star tip, not a round tip!) but everyone loved them, I even brought some to work to share with my coworkers and they liked them too. Here's the recipe and I hope you enjoy them too :)


Mini Pumpkin Pie Frosted Cinnamon Cheesecakes

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pinch salt
• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 12 baking cups with paper liners. In a separate bowl, whisk together the first three ingredients until well blended. Scoop 1 packed tablespoon of crust into each baking cup, and press down to pack firm. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Begin to boil a large kettle or pot of water for the water bath (if you have a pan large enough for the cupcake tin to sit in follow this step, it will help the cheesecakes cook more evenly and not dry out, if not though, don't worry about it. I didn't have one and they still turned out great).
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you could use a hand mixer) combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup plus 2 T. sugar, then mix on medium-speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix until smooth. Pour batter into each crust-prepared baking cup until 3/4 full.
Once your kettle or pot of water is boiling, carefully place a large baking dish on the lower rack of your oven and pull the rack out a few inches towards you, and then pour the water into it. This will create a water bath that will give off lots of steam while the cheesecake bakes.
Then place the cheesecake pan in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges appear to be set and the center still has a slight jiggle to it. Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly for 5 minutes. Then remove the pan and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled. Top with pumpkin pie frosting.

For the pumpkin pie frosting: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Remove and let cool, then refrigerate.
When ready to "frost" the cheesecakes, remove the pumpkin pie and spoon the filling into a piping bag. Use as you would regular frosting.