Sitting on a gingersnap crust, these Creamy Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes have a very rich eggnog and spice flavour. Finish off with fluffy eggnog whipped cream and sugared cranberries for a yummy and festive holiday treat!

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Every Christmas, for the past 3 years, I’ve been making Eggnog flavoured desserts. And I’m certain I’ll be making Eggnog desserts for every Christmas to come because no matter what form it’s enjoyed in, Eggnog is one of the greatest festive drinks ever!

Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes

My rich Eggnog Cheesecake is making a comeback, in miniature form this time! I love the full-sized version of these cheesecakes, but sometimes less is more, you know? And I especially love making mini cheesecakes for the holidays because there’s no fuss in slicing, everyone can just put one on their plate. 

Also my family always goes for seconds and thirds of the main meal so they almost never have dessert until the next day or so, which is frustrating for me. But if it’s a smaller sized treat like these, they’ll happily enjoy 1 or 2 after the big meal! Win! 

There are 4 Parts to these Mini Cheesecakes 

1. Gingersnap Cookie Crust
2. Eggnog Cheesecake 
3. Eggnog Whipped Cream 
4. Sugared Cranberries 

The sugared cranberries are optional, but they make the cheesecakes even more festive! Plus Eggnog and cranberries make a fantastic pairing, so why not?

Gingersnap Crust

You can use graham crackers or vanilla wafers, but when it comes to seasonal flavours like pumpkin and eggnog, gingersnap crusts are the way to go! 

Crush some gingersnaps into crumbs, then combine it with some brown sugar and melted butter. Scoop some crumbs into each cupcake liner and press them down flat. 

Pre-bake those itty bitty crusts so they stay intact, then set them aside to cool while you prepare the cheesecake. 

Eggnog Cheesecake Filling 

This beautiful spiced eggnog cheesecake only needs 8 simple ingredients. Start by beating the cream cheese until smooth, then add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Now add some eggnog and a bit of rum extract to enhance the eggnog flavour! Two eggs mixed in and the cheesecake batter is done. You’ll notice that the batter will be super thin and liquidy, that’s because we added an entire 1/2 cup of eggnog. Don’t worry, it’ll bake up into a firm, creamy cheesecake. 

Fill each liner all the way to the top. The cheesecakes won’t overflow, only puff up a little when baking, but they’ll flatten down once cooled. 

How to Make Eggnog Whipped Cream 

Yes, eggnog whipped cream! I wasn’t sure it would be stable enough to pipe, but it was! This creamy whipped cream has definitely become one of my favourites!

Make sure to chill your bowl and beaters in the freezer 20 minutes before you begin. Now add the chilled cream, eggnog, powdered sugar and rum extract to the chilled bowl and whip until it’s fluffy. 

I had to whip the cream for about 5 minutes, but it didn’t get as stiff as regular whipped cream. I didn’t think it would be pipeable, but I tested it anyways and it piped beautifully! 

I used my go-to 1M piping tip, started from the centre and piped a swirl outwards. I sprinkled on some gorgeous white nonpareil sprinkles to give the cheesecakes more of a “wintery” appearance, which we also get from the sparkling cranberry centre! 

How to Make Sugared Cranberries

Making sugared “sparkling” cranberries is very simple, but it does take quite a bit of time so I suggest you start with these first. 

To make the sugared cranberries, start by combining equal amounts of water and sugar in a small saucepan and bringing to a gentle simmer. Once it begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool down. This is called “simple syrup”. 

Add your cranberries to the simple syrup and stir around. Then place it in the refrigerator overnight while stirring it around every few hours to thoroughly coat the cranberries. 

Why do we do this? Well the next day, remove the cranberries from the syrup and place them on a rack to dry for an hour. When the syrup dries up, it’ll make the the cranberries nice and sticky so the sugar can adhere to the surface!

Place the cranberries in a bowl of sugar and toss them around with a spoon or fork, then place them back on the rack to dry for another hour to harden the sugar coating. 

These are like little drops of cranberry candies! Just what these mini eggnog cheesecakes need. 

Did you make these Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes? Let me know how they turned out in the comments below! And don’t forget to leave a rating!

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More Eggnog Recipes 

Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Eggnog Pudding

Eggnog Cupcakes

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Let’s get baking!

Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes with Eggnog Whipped Cream

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes

Sitting on a gingersnap crust, these Creamy Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes have a very rich eggnog and spice flavour. Finish off with fluffy eggnog whipped cream and sugared cranberries for a yummy and festive holiday treat!

Print

Ingredients

Sugared Cranberries (optional):

• 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cups fresh cranberries

Crust:

• 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (15-20 cookies)
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup Salted Butter, melted

Eggnog Cheesecake:

• 1 and 1/2 packages (12 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup eggnog, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp rum extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature 

Eggnog Whipped Cream:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 2 Tbsp Eggnog, chilled
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp rum extract
• White nonpareil sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

For the Sugared Cranberries:

1. Add water and 1/4 cup of sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Once sugar dissolves, stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Pour simple syrup into a small glass bowl and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
2. Once syrup is cool, add the fresh cranberries and stir until they're all coated. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow them to sit overnight, stirring every now and then to coat the cranberries. It’s best to start the cheesecake now, then come back to these instructions.
3. The next day: Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or wax paper. Place a wire rack on top. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cranberries from the syrup and place onto the wire rack. Allow cranberries to dry for about 1 hour.
4. Pour remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into a shallow dish. Add about 1/3 of the cranberries to the sugar and roll or shake the dish to coat the cranberries.
5. Use a clean slotted spoon to pick up the cranberries and shake out the excess sugar. Place them back onto the wire rack to dry for about an hour. Repeat with remaining cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for 1 week.

For the Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
2. Add gingersnap crumbs and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and mix together using a fork. Stir in melted butter until crumbs are completely coated.
3. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of crumbs into each liner and flatten using the back of the tablespoon or a small glass.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 325°F.

For the Eggnog Cheesecake:

1. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg and continue to beat until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add eggnog and rum extract and continue beating until smooth. 
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly until just combined, do not overbeat. Batter will be thin.
5. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is fully combined. Forcefully tap bowl on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
6. Fill each liner with 1/4 cup of batter. You may have some batter left, so scoop an extra tablespoon of batter into each liner until it’s finished. These cheesecakes can be filled all the way to the top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the tops are puffed and look dry.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
9. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm and chilled, about 2-3 hours or overnight.

For the Eggnog Whipped Cream:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the chilled cream, eggnog, powdered sugar, and rum extract for about 5-6 minutes, or until soft - stiff peaks form.
2. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a rosette swirl onto each cheesecake. Garnish with white sprinkles and a sugared cranberry, if desired. Enjoy!

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BON APPÉTIT!

Love, Dedra

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