Fall is in full swing and holiday baking is here! Make Thanksgiving (or any fall party) easy this year by adding these adorable and tasty 3-Layer Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites to your dessert buffet.
With the addition of caramel and pecans, you can easily take these cheesecakes up a notch. Make it extra special by making the crust with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal for a delicious change of pace. You can use plain graham cracker crumbs instead (same ratio of 1 cup) but I really think you should give the cereal a try!
To make the cheesecake bites:
- Heat oven to 300° F.
- Line a mini muffin pan with liners. Crush cereal with a rolling pin in a plastic bag.
- In a small bowl, mix cereal crumbs and butter.
- Divide evenly among liners and press crumb mixture in bottom.
- Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; don’t over-beat!
- On low speed, gradually beat in sugar.
- Still on low speed, beat in eggs one at a time just until blended.
- Scrape down the sides and beat again for another 30 seconds.
- Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the cereal crust.
- Stir pumpkin and spice into remaining cream cheese mixture.
- Mix with wire whisk until smooth.
- Spoon over the plain cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let it cool to room temperature.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Top with caramel sauce and pecans.
- Then enjoy!
3-Layer Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
Prep Time 30 min
Total Time 5 hr 0 min
Servings 24
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2 large eggs
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal crumbs
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS
- Heat oven to 300°F. Line a mini muffin pan with liners.
- In small bowl, mix cereal crumbs and butter. Divide evenly among liners and press crumb mixture in bottom.
- Using a stand mixer beat cream cheese on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not overbeat.
- On low speed, gradually beat in sugar.
- On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then beat again for another 30 seconds.
- Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the cereal crust.
- Stir pumpkin and spice into remaining cream cheese mixture.
- Mix with wire whisk until smooth. Spoon over the plain cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove and let come to room temperature.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Top with caramel sauce and pecans.
Recipe and Photo credit:tablespoon / CC BY-NC-ND
