Most recently I found a fun way to make tamales in the instant pot, and being as I’ve also made a cheesecake in the instant pot too, I thought… is it possible to make mini cheesecakes? As it turns out, it is! These Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites are fun and easy to make. Plus, they’re lightened up just enough to be guilt free while still tasting great.
As it turns out, the instant pot is a great way to make cheesecakes, and these mini ones are made directly in my handy-dandy egg bite mold! I lightened them up by using sweetener instead of most of the sugar, and also used a reduced fat cream cheese.
Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with a creamy, spiced eggnog filling and a gingersnap cookie for the crust. Add some whipped cream and caramel topping for a mini cheesecake recipe that is absolutely delicious!
I’ll admit that eggnog isn’t really my favorite thing to drink (it’s just a little too thick for my taste), but I do like the flavor so I like to find ways to use it in recipes. There is just a little bit in this recipe, but it’s enough to add a ton of flavor and the cinnamon and the nutmeg in the recipe go so well with the eggnog too.
It only takes a few minutes to whip up the cheesecake filling. You’ll just need a few basic ingredients in addition to the eggnog, and the crust couldn’t be any easier! Just place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each muffin liner and it will create the perfect cheesecake crust.
Ingredients in Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes
Gingersnap cookies – So much flavor and so easy to use for the crust! I’ve used several different brands and some are a little smaller than others, but they all have fit well into the muffin liners and work perfectly as a crust that adds so much flavor and complements the eggnog filling so well!
Cream cheese – The most important ingredient in any cheesecake recipe, right? You can use regular, low-fat or non-fat cream cheese, but I feel like you get the best consistency with the regular variety. Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
Granulated sugar – Gotta have some sweetness in there! After all, it is dessert!
Eggnog – You’ll only need half a cup, but I promise, that’s enough for a lot of flavor! Use any kind of eggnog you prefer.
Eggs & vanilla extract – Key ingredients in most desserts. The higher quality the vanilla, the better!
Flour – Just a little bit, but it will help add just that extra thickness to the cheesecake filling. Regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
Ground nutmeg & ground cinnamon – Don’t leave these spices out! They add the perfect amount of flavor to the cheesecake.
Whipped cream, for topping – This is totally optional, but it makes the cheesecakes look so fancy and I love the lightness of the whipped cream to help tone down the richness of the cheesecake. You can use a dollop of Cool Whip, the kind in the can (Reddi-Whip) or you can easily make your own sweetened whipped cream to use if you prefer.
Caramel topping, for serving – You’ll find this in the store near the chocolate syrup and other ice cream toppings. You can use chocolate or another kind of topping on the cheesecakes (or skip the topping altogether), but I think that the caramel is the perfect complement to the recipe and a little drizzle on top looks really pretty too!
How to make Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes
Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tins with 18 muffin liners. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each muffin liner. (Doesn’t really matter if the cookie is right side up or not, but I like to put the flat sides at the bottom.)
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add eggnog and vanilla and continue to beat for another 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and mix until smooth.
Spoon cheesecake mixture (I used a muffin scoop – makes things so much easier!) into each muffin cup on top of the gingersnaps. Cups should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on the counter for about 30 minutes before chilling the cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.
Add whipped cream and caramel topping on top of each cheesecake just before serving.
Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes
Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with a creamy, spiced eggnog filling and a gingersnap cookie for the crust. Add some whipped cream and caramel topping for a mini cheesecake recipe that is absolutely delicious!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes
Prep Time: 10minutes
Cook Time: 20minutes
Servings: 18
Ingredients
18gingersnap cookies
28 oz blocks of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/3cupeggnog
2large eggs
1tspvanilla extract
1 1/2Tbspflour
1tspground nutmeg
1tspground cinnamon
Whipped creamfor topping
Caramel toppingfor serving
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tins with 18 muffin liners. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each muffin liner. (Doesn’t really matter if the cookie is right side up or not, but I like to put the flat sides at the bottom.)
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add eggnog and vanilla and continue to beat for another 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and mix until smooth.
Spoon cheesecake mixture (I used a muffin scoop – makes things so much easier!) into each muffin cup on top of the gingersnaps. Cups should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on the counter for about 30 minutes before chilling the cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.
Add whipped cream and caramel topping on top just before serving.
What kind of cream cheese to use in cheesecake?
I usually use regular cream cheese, but you can also use a low-fat or non-fat variety in cheesecake. Just make sure it is softened to room temperature before adding to the recipe.
HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE
Cream cheese is easy to soften – you can set it out at room temperature or soften it more quickly in the microwave.
-To soften at room temperature more quickly, just set the cream cheese on a plate and cut into smaller pieces. The cream cheese should reach room temperature in about 15-20 minutes with this method.
-To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, remove the foil packaging and set the cream cheese in a small bowl or on a plate. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds. If the cream cheese is still cold and hard, continue to microwave for about 5 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft throughout. Just make sure not to microwave it too long or it will start to melt!
How to make whipped cream?
Whipped cream is so easy to make. All you need is 2 cups (1 pint) of heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Place the heavy cream in a bowl and beat with a mixer for about 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. When you pull the whisk up, the cream should form peaks that maintain their shape. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix for another minute. Serve immediately with dessert or save in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
LOVE CHEESECAKE? SO DO WE! HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE CHEESECAKE RECIPES!
Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with a creamy, spiced eggnog filling and a gingersnap cookie for the crust. Add some whipped cream and caramel topping for a mini cheesecake recipe that is absolutely delicious!
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This cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe is so easy to make at home. It’s become one of my go-to wide dishes recently. Make it once, and you’ll never reach for a box of potatoes au gratin again.
Growing up, baked scalloped potatoes from a box were one of my favorite side dishes. Or was it au gratin potatoes? I could never keep them straight, but they were delicious.
(People use the terms interchangeably, but traditionally au gratin potatoes are the cheesy ones. Bety Crocker’s boxed scalloped potatoes have cheese though, so you really can’t blame anyone for being confused!)
These days, those dehydrated potatoes kind of weird me out. Not to mention all of the other chemical-y sounding ingredients listed on the box.
Luckily, it turns out that homemade scalloped potatoes are super easy to make with real, whole-food ingredients. They only take a few minutes longer to prepare than the boxed version and they’re so much tastier!
I’ve been making this scalloped potato recipe about once a month for the last year or so. This time around, I thought I’d try a new recipe from the new book All Stirred Up: Suffrage Cookbooks, Food, and the Battle for Women’s Right to Vote, written by my friend Laura Kumin.
This year marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. In her book, Laura explores the history of the women’s suffrage movement and the way they used cookbooks and community events to get their message out.
In addition to being a fascinating account of the history of women’s suffrage, it’s a great collection of classic, down-home recipes adapted for today from original suffrage cookbooks.
For this month’s edition of Progressive Eats, we’re doing a blog tour of recipes from the book, so be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post for links to more!
Making scalloped potatoes from scratch
This cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe is even easier than the one I had been using since it eliminates the step of starting everything on the stovetop.
You just layer everything in a casserole dish and bake it until the potatoes are soft and the sauce is bubbling and browned. How much easier can it get?!
To make it, you’ll need:
Potatoes. Choose something starchy like peeled Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes. The starches help thicken the sauce, so this recipe won’t come out right if you use a waxy potato.
Flour. It might look like you’re adding a lot, but it’s important since it helps thicken the sauce. If you don’t add enough, your potatoes might come out soupy, and no one wants that!
Butter. Because butter makes everything better.
Cheese. You can omit this, but why would you want to? More on the best types of cheese to use below.
Mustard Powder. You can leave this out if you don’t have any, but it adds a nice, subtle flavor to the casserole.
Milk. Use whole milk for this recipe; lower fat and non-dairy milk won’t necessarily thicken properly.
Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes very thin
Cutting the potatoes
To ensure the potatoes soften properly and don’t end up crunchy, you need to slice them really thin. I like to slice mine to about a 1/8-inch thickness.
Since this recipe only calls for one pound of potatoes, I usually just use a mandolin. Be sure to use the finger guard or wear a pair of cut-proof gloves to protect your hands!
If using a mandolin makes you nervous (I don’t blame you!) you can also use a food processor with a slicing attachment. This is also a great option if you’re making a larger batch and have more potatoes to deal with.
Of course, you can also just use a sharp knife, cutting the potatoes as thinly and evenly as you can.
If you opt to go this route, it’s helpful to cut each potato in half length-wise to create a flat edge. This helps stabilize the potato on your cutting board so you can get thinner slices. The potatoes will be a half-moon shape instead of round, but they’ll cook up just the same and will still be delicious!
Step 1: Layer the potatoes in a casserole dish and season with salt and pepper
Step 2: Sprinkle the potatoes with flour and dot with butter
What kind of cheese to use?
The recipe for these easy scalloped potatoes just calls for cheese, without specifying which kind to use. That’s because any hard cheese will do, so you can feel free to use whatever you prefer — or whatever you happen to have on hand.
Laura said she likes to make them with sharp cheddar, which sounds fantastic. I used Parmesan since that’s what I had in the fridge and is what I’m used to using.
Next time, I’m going to use a nutty gruyere, which I think will be delicious and perfect for winter.
Step 3: Sprinkle with Cheese
Step 4: Repeat, ending with butter. Then pour milk over it all.
More recipes from All Stirred Up:
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is a celebration of women’s suffrage, and our host is Laura who blogs at Mother Would Know.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. The host for the month chooses the theme and members share recipes on that theme suitable for a delicious meal or party. Then you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. So come along and see all of the delicious and inspired dishes!
Cocktail
Appetizers
Main Courses
Sides
Dessert
Classic Scalloped Potatoes
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour10 minutes
This recipe was reprinted with permission from All Stirred Up by Laura Kumin
Ingredients
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and very thinly
Preheat the oven to 350° F/180° C. Butter or oil a small baking dish (I used a 4 1⁄2 x 7-inch/close to 20 x 10 cm casserole).
Put a layer of the raw potatoes in the baking dish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top, dot the butter, and sprinkle or sift about a 1⁄2–1 tablespoon of flour on top. (If desired, add the shredded cheese mixed with dry mustard.) Repeat the layers until all the potatoes are used up. End with butter.
Pour milk into the dish until it just about covers the top potatoes. Bake for about 45 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If desired, broil for 1–2 minutes at the end to crisp up the top layer of potatoes.
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Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with a creamy, spiced eggnog filling and a gingersnap cookie for the crust. Add some whipped cream and caramel topping for a mini cheesecake recipe that is absolutely delicious!
