These mini s’more cheesecakes taste just like an actual s’more perfectly capturing the melty, gooey texture of this beloved treat in each scrumptious bite!
What’s not to love about good old s’mores! In celebration of national s’mores day, I thought it would be nice to make a s’more inspired treat featuring one of my favorite desserts – cheesecake! Guys, I cannot even begin to express how good these mini s’more cheesecakes are! They taste just like a s’more but in cheesecake form. Yum! Originally, I was going to go with a vanilla cheesecake filling but opted for chocolate in a last-minute decision. Thank goodness! The rich, robust flavor of the chocolate cheesecake pairs so nicely with the delicate sweetness of the swiss meringue topping making for an overall balanced treat. If you are looking for a fun twist on classic s’mores, then give these mini s’more cheesecakes a try. They truly are scrumptious!
(NOTE: The full recipe with exact measurements is down at the bottom of this post in the recipe card!)
How To Make Mini S’more Cheesecakes
Graham Cracker Crust
Key Ingredients
- Graham Crackers
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar – I used dark brown sugar but light brown sugar will work as well.
- Salt
How To Make Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat – oven to 325F (165 C). Line (2) 12-Count cupcake baking pan with cupcake liners. Alternatively, mini smore’s cheesecakes maybe baked in batches.
- Whisk – add graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pour – melted, cooled butter into bowl with dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix ingredients together until mixture takes on the appearance of wet sand.
- Bake – equally divide graham cracker crust mixture into prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Graham cracker crust is ready when it is fragrant and takes on a light golden-brown color.
- Cool – graham cracker crust as the chocolate cheesecake filling is prepared.
Chocolate Cheesecake
Key Ingredient
- Cream Cheesecake – I used full fat cream cheese. May substitute with reduced fat cream cheesecake.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – may substitute with dark or bittersweet chocolate chips/bar
- Eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Cocoa Powder – I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder. May substitute with regular cocoa powder.
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla Extract
How To Make Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Reduce – oven temperature to 300F (150C).
- Melt – chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave at 30 second intervals taking care to stir chocolate between intervals. Set aside to cool before using.
- Cream – in the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch together at medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth in appearance, about 3-4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl.
- Mix – the cooled melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture followed by the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl.
- Beat – reduce mixer speed to low and beat the eggs one at a time into the chocolate cheesecake batter. Stop mixer. Using a rubber spatula, give chocolate cheesecake batter a good mix making sure to reach the base of mixing bowl.
- Bake – divide chocolate cheesecake batter into prepared baking pan with cooled graham cracker crust and bake for 22-25 minutes. Chocolate cheesecakes are ready when they appear puffed and have a slight giggle in the center when baking pan is shaken.
- Cool – allow chocolate cheesecakes to cool in pan for 40-60 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours. I left chocolate cheesecakes in the pan to chill in the refrigerator, this made it easier to removed them from pan once they firmed up.
Swiss Meringue Topping
Key Ingredients
- Egg Whites
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
How To Make Swiss Meringue Topping
- Clean – thoroughly clean all kitchen tools (mixing bowl, whisk attachment of stand mixer and digital kitchen thermometer) that will be used for making the meringue ensuring there is no presence of residual grease.
- Whisk – in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Cook – egg white mixture over a double boiler/pot of simmering water while whisking consistently for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture registers 160 F (71C) on a digital kitchen thermometer and there is no presence of sugar granules in mixture.
- Whisk – warm egg white mixture at high speed until the base of mixing bowl is cool to touch and meringue has reached stiff peak stage, 8-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low and whisk in the vanilla extract into meringue. Stop mixer once vanilla extract has been fully incorporated into meringue.
Bring it All Together – Mini S’more Cheesecakes
- Add – chocolate chips into a small mixing bowl and pour over warmed heavy cream. Allow mixture to sit untouched for 1 minute before whisking into a smooth mixture. Set chocolate ganache aside to cool before using.
- Retrieve – chilled chocolate cheesecakes from the refrigerator and top the center of each one with a half of tablespoon of the cooled chocolate ganache.
- Sprinkle – the top of chocolate ganache with some graham cracker crumbs (optional).
- Spoon – swiss meringue topping into the center of mini s’mores cheesecakes.
- Toast – using a kitchen torch, toast the meringue to your likely. Alternatively, mini s’mores cheesecakes maybe placed under a broiler to toast for 30-40 seconds. Keep a watchful eye on cheesecakes to prevent meringue from burning.
Tips for Making Perfect Mini S’more Cheesecakes
- Room Temperature Ingredients – using room temperature ingredients for the chocolate cheesecake filling will help ensure that the batter whips up smoothly without lumps of unmixed ingredients.
- Do Not Overmix Cheesecake Batter – overmixing will build up too much air in cheesecake batter which will likely lead to cracks in the finished bake. Refraining from overmixing the batter is really important once eggs are mixed in. I recommend reducing the mixer speed to low as the eggs are beaten/incorporated into cheesecake batter. Once all the eggs have been added, mix cheesecake batter for an additional minute at low speed and stop mixer. Give batter a final mix with a rubber spatula, making sure to reach the base of bowl.
- Avoid Overbaking Cheesecake – overbaking is another reason for cracks in cheesecake. To avoid the dreaded cracks in your cheesecake, it should be baked at a low oven temperature 300F-325F (150-165C) and removed from oven once the edges appears puffed but the center giggles slightly when cheesecake is lightly shaken. Do not be alarm by what appears to be an under cooked cheesecake. Cheesecake will continue to cook through from internal heat as it cools at room temperature.
- Use Clean Kitchen Tools – one of the essential steps to ensure that swiss meringue comes out correctly is to start off with clean kitchen tools. Any trace of grease/oil will result in a meringue that will not whip up to stiff peaks. As an extra step of precaution, I recommend wiping down all kitchen tools (mixing bowl, kitchen whisk, whisk attachment of mixer, and digital kitchen thermometer) that will be used to make swiss meringue with lemon juice/vinegar. The acid will cut through and help remove any trace of grease/oil.
- Properly Cook Ingredients – another essential step to making swiss meringue is to ensure the ingredients – egg whites, sugar and salt – are cooked through properly without any trace of sugar granules present in final mixture. This will help prevent ending up with a grainy meringue. Egg white mixture should be cooked through indirect heat i.e. double broiler until it registers anywhere between 160-170F (71-81C). In the absence of a digital kitchen thermometer, you can tell when egg white mixture is properly cooked when you rub some of the mixture between your fingers and it is free of any granules.
Kitchen Tools/Supplies I Used to Make Mini S’more Cupcakes
- Electric Hand Mixer (May be used in place of stand mixer)
Looking for More Cheesecake/Chocolate Recipes, See the Links Below:
If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintMini S’more Cheesecakes
These mini s’more cheesecakes taste just like an actual s’more perfectly capturing the melty, gooey texture of this beloved treat in each scrumptious bite!
- Prep Time: 3 Hours 40 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 Servings 1x
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 Cup (100 g) Graham Cracker Crumbs, Plus More for Garnish (Optional)
- 1 Tablespoon (20 g) Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 oz) Unsalted Butter, Melted, Cooled
- Pinch of Salt
Chocolate Cheesecake
- 16 Ounces (458 g) Full Fat Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 4 Ounces (113 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 Large Egg, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup ( 158 ml) Heavy Cream, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup (150 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (13 g) Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Swiss Meringue Topping Chocolate Ganache
- 4 Large Egg Whites
- 1 Cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 Ounces (57 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream, warmed to hot
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F (165 C). Line (2) 12-count cupcake baking pans with cupcake liners. Alternatively, mini smore’s cheesecakes maybe baked in batches.
- Add graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pour melted, cooled butter into bowl with dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix ingredients together until mixture takes on the appearance of wet sand.
- Equally divide graham cracker crust mixture into prepared pan, press down to flatten using the back of a spoon and bake for 12 minutes. Graham cracker crust is ready when it becomes fragrant and takes on a light golden-brown color.
- Cool graham cracker crust as the chocolate cheesecake filling is prepared.
Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Reduce oven temperature to 300F (150C).
- Melt chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave at 30 second intervals taking care to stir chocolate between intervals. Set aside to cool before using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch together at medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth in appearance, about 3-4 minutes. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl.
- Mix the cooled melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture followed by the heavy cream and vanilla extract at medium-high speed. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and beat the eggs one at a time into the chocolate cheesecake batter. Stop mixer. Using a rubber spatula, give chocolate cheesecake batter a good mix making sure to reach the base of mixing bowl.
- Divide chocolate cheesecake batter into prepared baking pan with cooled graham cracker crust and bake for 22-25 minutes. Chocolate cheesecakes are ready when they appear puffed along the edges and have a slight giggle in the center when baking pan is lightly shaken.
- Allow chocolate cheesecakes to cool in pan for 40-60 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours. I left chocolate cheesecakes in the pan to chill in the refrigerator, this made it easier to removed them from pan once they firmed up.
Swiss Meringue Topping
- Thoroughly clean all kitchen tools (mixing bowl, hand whisk, whisk attachment of stand mixer and digital kitchen thermometer) that will be used for making the meringue ensuring there is no presence of residual grease.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Cook egg white mixture over a double boiler/pot of simmering water while whisking consistently for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture registers 160 F (71C) on a digital kitchen thermometer and there is no presence of sugar granules in mixture.
- Whisk warm egg white mixture at high speed in stand mixer until the base of mixing bowl is cool to touch and meringue has reached stiff peak stage, 8-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low and whisk in the vanilla extract into meringue. Stop mixer once all of the vanilla extract in incorporated into meringue.
Assembly
- Into a small mixing bowl, add chocolate chips and pour over warmed heavy cream. Allow mixture to sit untouched for 1 minute before whisking into a smooth mixture. Set chocolate ganache aside to cool before using.
- Retrieve chilled chocolate cheesecakes from the refrigerator and top the center of each one with a half of tablespoon of the cooled chocolate ganache.
- Sprinkle the top of chocolate ganache with some graham cracker crumbs (optional).
- Spoon swiss meringue topping into the center of mini s’more cheesecakes.
- Using a kitchen torch, toast the meringue to your likely. Alternatively, mini s’more cheesecakes maybe placed under a broiler to toast for 30-40 seconds. Keep a watchful eye on cheesecakes to prevent meringue from burning.
Notes
- For chocolate cheesecakes, start off using room temperature ingredients. This will make it easier for batter to mixed up into a smooth consistency without any lumps.
- When making swiss meringue topping, make sure all kitchen tools are thoroughly cleaned. Any trace of grease/oil will prevent meringue from whipping up to stiff peaks.
- If in a pinch, store-bought marshmallows may be used in place of swiss meringue topping. Just toast them either with a kitchen torch or under the broiler for that classic s’more touch.
- Mini s’more cheesecakes are best eaten the day it is prepared but will last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container.
- I used larger cupcake liners, my yield was 12 mini s’more cheesecakes. For standard sized cupcake liners, yield will be 14 mini s’more cheesecakes.
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