A sweet and salty caramel pecan topping makes these easy Mini Turtle Cheesecakes a dreamy dessert. Add a swirl of homemade caramel whipped cream, chocolate & caramel drizzles, and pecan chunks and watch everyone smile.
Cheesecake is one of our favorite desserts around here. Well, for four of the five in our family anyway. Our youngest son is our pickiest eater and prefers brownies over any other kind of dessert.
Some days I do question if he is ok. But then I make him these Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies, and I realize that he has good dessert sense.
Now I do love me some cheesecake, but there are just days where I don't want to mess with all the time that is required to make this Banana Split Cheesecake.
Plus, mini cheesecakes are so much cuter and perfect for parties.
A turtle dessert recipe includes vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and pecans.
Mini cheesecakes are much easier to make and take less time than a full sized cheesecake.
This will make 12 cupcake sized cheesecakes.
Enter in cheesecake cupcakes! They are so much easier to make, take less time to bake, and less time to chill. And that means we can be chowing down on cheesecake in no time at all. Well, relatively speaking. They do still need time to chill too.
There is a little bit of work involved, but I promise that mini cheesecakes are really quite easy to make.
As I started thinking about what flavor to make this time, my mind went straight to a turtle flavor. I am a fan of sweet and salty, and I remembered how good the combo of caramel, chocolate, and pecans were in these Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tart.
How to make Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
- Crush graham crackers and mix with butter and sugar.
- Press the crumbs into 12 muffin liners.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add flour and sour cream and beat again.
- Beat in the eggs. Spoon onto the prepared crusts and bake.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes, then gently remove from pan and cool on counter one hour.
- Refrigerate cheesecakes 3-4 hours or until completely chilled through.
For these turtle cheesecakes, I decided to use three different toppings. A caramel pecan topping, homemade caramel whipped cream, and drizzles of chocolate and caramel on each one made this easy cheesecake cupcake look like it came from a gourmet bakery.
The texture and flavor of all these toppings made these turtle cheesecakes absolutely amazing!
How to make Caramel Pecan Topping
- Unwrap caramel candies. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring until melted and creamy.
- Stir in chopped pecans and let cool a few minutes.
- Spoon on top of chilled cheesecakes.
Add a swirl of homemade whipped cream to each cheesecake. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup and add a pecan half to the top.
Mini Turtle Cheesecake Tips
- Make sure to set out cream cheese earlier. Room temperature cream cheese is so much easier to beat into the sugar.
- Use tinfoil cupcake liners. The cheesecake and caramel topping will peel off easier. Paper liners will work if that is all you have.
- Spoon the batter evenly onto the prepared crusts. The liners will be very full.
- Place a metal sheet pan full of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the cheesecakes on the rack right above for a steam bath effect. This creates the creamiest texture.
- Set the cheesecakes out 10 minutes before serving, so that the caramel topping has time to warm up. If you eat them straight from the fridge, the caramel may pull off as you bite it.
- These cheesecakes can be frozen without the toppings for later. Thaw and add the toppings right before serving.
Cheesecake Love
Inventive, Decadent, and Super-Easy Cheesecake Desserts for Every Day.
Order Your Copy Today: Amazon
Other mini cheesecake cupcakes you may like:
- Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
- Matcha Green Tea Cheesecakes
- Mini Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecakes
- Butterfinger Mousse Cheesecakes
- Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
Do you love a recipe you tried from Inside BruCrew Life?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating and a review in the comments section below.
Recipe
Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
A sweet and salty caramel pecan topping makes these easy Mini Turtle Cheesecakes a dreamy dessert.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
- 2 large eggs
For the Topping
- 24 caramel squares, unwrapped
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon caramel syrup, divided
- ¼ cup chocolate syrup
- ½ cup pecan halves
Instructions
- Place a large rimmed sheet pan on bottom oven rack and fill halfway with water. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 12 metal cupcake liners in a regular muffin tin.
- Stir together graham crumbs, sugar, and butter. Spoon evenly into cupcake liners. Press crumbs down firmly in bottom of liner.
- Beat cream cheese and brown sugar until creamy. Add sour cream and flour and beat again.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat until just combined.
- Fill muffin liners with batter. Liners will be very full.
- Place muffin tin on oven rack above steaming pan of water. Bake 25 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and cool 15 minutes. Gently remove cheesecakes from pan and place on wire rack. Cool 1 hour; then refrigerate at least 4 hours or until chilled through.
- For topping, place caramel candies and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in saucepan. Heat over low-med/low heat, stirring often until melted and creamy. Stir in pecan bits. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Spoon caramel onto tops of chilled cheesecakes. Let set.
- Chill metal bowl and wire whisk attachment in freezer for 10 minutes. Pour 1 cup heavy cream, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon caramel topping to chilled bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spoon whipped cream into piping bag fitted with icing tip 1M. Swirl on top of caramel topping.
- Drizzle tops with caramel and chocolate syrups and sprinkle with pecan halves.
- Set cheesecakes out 10-15 minutes before serving so caramel topping can soften.
Notes
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 741Total Fat: 51gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 340mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 3gSugar: 50gProtein: 8g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Program, an affiliate program designed to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.
Joanne
Can these be dressed ahead of time and refrigerate till Ready to serve or should you assemble right before serving
Jocelyn
They can be made and topped ahead of time if you like. The caramel does get a little bit harder when it is refrigerated, so make sure to take them out about 10 minutes before serving, so they can soften up a little.
Rob
No ingredient list? Too bad. Recipe looks good.
Jocelyn
This a recipe that I created for Dixie Crystals. There are two different links in the post that you can click to get to the recipe card.