Leftover Cranberry Sauce Mini Cheesecake Recipe

Leftover cranberry sauce mini cheesecakes make the most of any leftover cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Swirled into the batter and served with a dollop on top!

So you may have witnessed my cranberry sauce rant in my Raspberry Balsamic Cranberry Sauce post. If not, here's the summary:  I am a total, crazy, cranberry sauce nut.

Well this year, I went a bit overboard...I made a double batch of cranberry sauce, and ended up with probably a liter of sauce for 8 people...and there were leftovers...oh so many leftovers!

And looking at the leftover cranberry sauce, and a few blocks of cream cheese that just happened to be hanging out in my fridge, this mini cheesecake recipe was spontaneously born.

Whenever I make cheesecakes of any kind, I think of my friend Alison, whose parents threw a cheesecake party every year when I was growing up. Every guest brought a cheesecake, and there was a lot of sampling, then voting for the best cheesecake. One year my mom won a mushroom scrubber. Let's just say you don't win for the prize, you win for the glory 😉

Every single time I attended this cheesecake party, I would end up eating SO much cheesecake, a sliver of this one, a bite of that one, and before I knew it, I ended up overly stuffed and uncomfortable, and wondering why did I do this to myself? And vowing that I would never eat another slice of cheesecake again.

But how could I stay away? Not possible. It's cheesecake.

This mini cheesecake recipe is the absolute perfect portion size. You get a good dose of cheesecake, and you won't have that over-full regretful feeling. {Cheesecake hangover?}

These little guys are actually incredibly easy to make, using muffin papers and a muffin tray. They come together in a matter of minutes and bake up in 20 or so.

Like all cheesecakes, you do need to let them set up in the fridge for a few hours...that is the hardest part about cheesecakes, am I right? The waiting.

Well...they are definitely worth the wait. Creamy cheesecake swirled with cranberry sauce, and don't forget to dollop some more on top! This mini cheesecake recipe was the perfect way to put a dent in my leftover cranberry sauce.

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Mini Cheesecake Recipe

4.56 from 9 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

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Leftover cranberry sauce mini cheesecakes make the most of any leftover cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Swirled into the batter and served with a dollop on top!

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Ingredients

Crust:

• ▢ ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (56 g)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter (melted; 28g)

Cheesecake:

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature {light or regular})
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar (50 g)
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 7 tablespoons cranberry sauce

Topping:

• ▢ 1 cup cranberry sauce

Instructions 

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard-sized muffin pan with 7 large muffin liners.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and sugar, until mixture is crumbly. Divide evenly amongst lined muffin tray {should be 1 or so tbsp per cheesecake}. Press gently with your fingers to flatten.
• In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl several times. Mix in the egg and the vanilla. Spoon over the crust until muffin papers are ¾ full.
• Add one tbsp of cranberry sauce over tops of cheesecakes. Swirl gently with a knife.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Centers may still jiggle slightly. Cool completely in muffin pan, then transfer to a resealable container and cool for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• To serve, top with an additional 1-2 tbsp cranberry sauce.

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Tips:

Any cranberry sauce recipe may be used.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cheesecake, Calories: 292kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 197mg, Potassium: 74mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 586IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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