WHAT’S FOR A SWEET TREAT?
Mini Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecakes
Array/5
COOK TIME
25 min
TOTAL TIME
45 min
SERVINGS
24 mini cheesecakes
Whether you’re looking for a unique Valentine’s Day dessert or just want a sweet treat any day of the year, these mini chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecakes are the perfect bite.
I love a strawberry-chocolate flavor combination in any form. This delicious one happens to come in a creamy strawberry cheesecake surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust and topped with a decadent chocolate ganache. Also mini. Because mini just wins.
Presenting, mini chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake! Also known as, your new favorite dessert.
These start with an easy cheesecake recipe, nothing fancy. The strawberry flavor comes from a bit of strawberry jam inside the batter. I also added a bit of pink food coloring for the full strawberry effect, but that is totally optional.
After you fangirl over the strawberry cheesecake, save some praise for my favorite part of the show. The chocolate ganache. I literally licked the bowl clean. Can’t stop me. The smooth, rich chocolate ganache is dolloped right on top, creating the delicious flavor of a chocolate-covered strawberry.
Making the Perfect Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake
All the layers of this sweet treat use my favorite ingredients from Hiland Dairy. I love their mission and the quality of the dairy products, it truly makes a world of difference.
One bite gets you the crunchy, buttery graham cracker crunch (made with Hiland Dairy butter) and then you get the mix of creamy strawberry cheesecake (with Hiland Dairy cream cheese) and the rich ganache (with Hiland Dairy heavy cream).
Oh man, these are delicious. Check out the recipe below and let me know what you think!
Also, be sure to head to the Hiland Dairy website for more delicious recipes and coupons for my favorite products.
What is Strawberry Cheesecake Made Of?
There’s really three parts to making these delicious mini chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecakes: the crust, the filling and the topping.
Mini Cheesecake Crust Ingredients
- Graham Crackers: Graham cracker crumbs are the foundation of these cheesecake bites. You’ll want to crush up the graham crackers as finely as possible – I like to put them inside a heavy-duty zip lock bag and use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to break them up.
- Hiland Dairy Butter: Mixing melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs is all you have to do to make this crust! It’s crispy, crunchy and oh so buttery.
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- Hiland Dairy Cream Cheese: You can use any cream cheese you want, just make sure it’s the full-fat kind for the creamiest, richest cheesecake possible.
- Sugar: This recipe uses regular granulated sugar – nothing fancy required!
- Strawberry Jelly: Using strawberry jelly instead of fresh strawberries in the filling ensures the texture of the cheesecake is impacted by the moisture of the berries. It packs a big strawberry flavor and also adds more sweetness.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You pretty much can’t make dessert without vanilla extract, so you probably already have this in your pantry.
- Kosher Salt: Adding a bit of salt to the recipe brings out the sweetness and freshness of the strawberry flavor
- Egg: A single egg helps the cheesecake set up and stay together, while still being light and fluffy.
- Red Food Coloring: This ingredient is totally optional, but I like to make my strawberry chocolate cheesecakes nice and pink – especially if I’m making them as a Valentine’s Day dessert!
Chocolate Topping Ingredients
- Chocolate Chips: I like to use semi sweet chocolate, but you can use your favorite chocolate!
- Hiland Dairy Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds a delicious richness to your chocolate ganache and helps create the amazing texture.
- Fresh Strawberries: I love the fresh burst of strawberry flavor on top of these mini cheesecakes.
How to Make Mini Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
These mini chocolate strawberry cheesecakes require several steps, but they are surprisingly easy to make!
To Make the Crust:
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together until well combined. Press about one tablespoon of the mixture into each cup of a mini muffin pan.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 350 degrees and then set aside to cool.
To Make the Filling:
- Add the cream cheese and sugar to a large bowl and mix until combined with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add the strawberry jelly, vanilla, food coloring and salt and mix again until smooth.
- Add the egg and mix again for another minute.
- Once the crusts have cooled, spoon the filling into each cup evenly and bake at 325 degrees for 18 minutes.
- Turn the oven off, open the door and leave the cheesecakes in the cooling oven for 5 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely.
To Make the Topping:
- Pour the heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl or a saucepan and heat it until hot but not boiling.
- Add the heavy cream to a bowl of chocolate chips and let it sit for about 3 minutes, then stir until it’s smooth.
How to Serve Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
I like to serve these mini cheesecakes with the chocolate ganache spooned on top of the cheesecakes and then place half of a strawberry on top. But there are plenty of other ways you can make and serve these mini cheesecakes.
Top with Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Instead of topping with fresh strawberries, make chocolate-covered strawberries to place on top instead! It will bring these mini chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecakes to the next level.
Make a Sweet Dessert Board
Mini desserts are perfect for turning into a dessert board or sweet charcuterie board. I love the idea of creating a beautiful display with these cheesecakes, some chocolate-covered strawberries, brownies, cookies, fudge and any other sweet treats you love.
Serve as a Valentine’s Day Dessert
These mini strawberry cheesecakes with chocolate ganache are a great Valentine’s Day dessert! Is there any combination more classically Valentine’s Day than strawberries and chocolate? I don’t think so!
Common Questions About Making Mini Cheesecakes
What kind of pan can you use to make mini cheesecake?
There is actually such a thing as mini cheesecake pans, but if you don’t own those (I don’t!), then a mini muffin pan works perfectly. If you want to make slightly larger cheesecakes that are still single-serve, a regular muffin pan would also work.
Can you use dipping chocolate vs ganache?
You could, but I don’t recommend it. While dipping chocolate is often used to make traditional chocolate-covered strawberries, this kind of chocolate tends to cool into a much harder shell, which can make these harder to eat.
Making Ahead & Storing Mini Cheesecake
You can make these mini chocolate-strawberry cheesecakes a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’re going to do this, I’d wait to add the fresh strawberries until right before serving.
Even better, if you want to make some of it ahead but still want the cheesecakes to be as fresh as possible, make the filling in advance and then do the crust, ganache and assembly the day you plan to serve.
These are best within 1 day of assembly, but don’t worry – they won’t last longer than that anyway!
More Valentine’s Day Recipes You’ll Love:
Print
Mini Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecakes
Creamy strawberry cheesecake surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust and drizzled with a rich chocolate ganache. Easy to make and so delicious!
Ingredients
Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tablespoons Hiland Dairy Butter, melted
Filling
12 ounces Hiland Dairy Cream Cheese
½ cup sugar
½ cup Strawberry Jelly
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
A drop of red food coloring, optional
Topping
½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup Hiland Dairy Heavy Cream
12 strawberries, cut in half
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
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In a medium bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and melted Hiland butter. Stir together until combined. Put about 1 Tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture into each cup. Using the back of the Tablespoon or a spoon, press mixture down into each cup of the tin.
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Bake for 5 minutes and then set aside to cool. Then turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees.
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While the crusts are cooling, in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer, add the Hiland cream cheese and sugar. Mix until combined, about 2 minutes.
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Next, add the strawberry jelly, vanilla, food coloring (optional), and salt. Mix again until smooth.
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Add the egg and mix again for another minute.
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Spoon the cream cheese mixture into each cup evenly until all batter is used. Bake for 18 minutes.
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Turn off the oven and open the oven door. Leave the cheesecakes in the cooling oven for about 5 minutes. Then remove and let cool completely.
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After cheesecakes have cooled completely, pour the chocolate chips into a medium bowl. In the microwave in a safe dish or a saucepan on the stove, heat Hiland heavy cream until hot but not boiling.
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Pour hot heavy cream over the chocolate chips but do not stir yet. Let sit for 3 minutes then stir together slowly until combined and smooth.
Notes
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2 Responses
super yummy and easy to make! (just make sure to add eggs to the ingredients list since they weren’t there!)
Thank you for letting me know, I’ll go change it now. So glad you liked them!