Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies
These Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies are a wonderful treat to serve this holiday. Small, cute and so tasty, they will bring smiles to everyone who tries them.
The gingersnap pie shells are crunchy and sweet. The cream cheese filling is smooth and creamy. The cranberry compote has a delicious sweet-sour mashup going on and the sugared cranberries are a delight in of themselves.
Let’s get busy!
Make the sugared cranberries by dipping the cranberries in maple syrup. Working with a few at a time, roll the cranberries in sanding sugar until they are coated. Let them dry at room temperature.
To make the cranberry compote, mix the remaining cranberries with orange zest and juice and sugar. Simmer and mash the cranberries until the mixture has thickened. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then use a fork to mash the cranberries until almost smooth. Cool completely.
For the gingersnap shells, combine gingersnap crumbs with melted butter, sugar and salt. Spoon some into each cup of a sprayed muffin pan and press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides. Try to press the crumbs evenly and thick as possible. When you take them out of the pan, they can crumble if parts are thinner than others. Bake them and then cool completely.
To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar in a mixer and beat until light and smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitting with an open tip.
Carefully remove the crusts from the muffin pan. This is a little tricky…I used a very sharp knife to gently loosen the crust from the pan and then tipped the pan over a bit so that the crust starts to fall out. I had a little bit of crumbling on the sides of some of the crusts. You can see that in my photos. It’s fine…we’re all human, right??
Pipe filling into the crusts. You can store the mini pies covered in the fridge if you are serving them later in the day or the next day (yes, they will keep!). When you are ready to serve them, drizzle each one with some cranberry compote and top them with sugared cranberries and a bit of orange zest.
Serve the remaining compote on the side.
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Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies
Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes plus drying time 1 hour
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, divided
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup white sanding sugar
- 1 tsp grated orange zest plus 1/3 cup fresh juice (from 1 large, 10 ounce orange), plus more zest for garnish
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 2 & 3/4 cups finely crushed crisp gingersnap cookies (from about 12 ounces of cookies)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Place 1/2 cup of the cranberries in a bowl; add maple syrup, and toss to coat. Place sanding sugar in a separate bowl. Working in batches of about 2 tablespoons each, add cranberries to sanding sugar; toss to coat. Arrange cranberries in 1 layer on a plate. Set aside to dry at room temperature, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Meanwhile, stir together orange zest, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, and remaining ¼ cup cranberries in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium. Cook, stirring occasionally and mashing cranberries with the back of a spoon, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a fork, mash cranberries until mixture is almost smooth. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. (If needed, stir in up to 1 tablespoon water, ½ teaspoon at a time, until mixture has consistency of loose jam.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside. Stir together gingersnap crumbs, melted butter, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Spoon into muffin cups (about 3 & 1/2 tablespoons each); press into bottom and up sides.
Bake pie crusts in preheated oven until set, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to press hot crusts back into a cup shape. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cheesecake mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large (¾-inch) open star tip.
Carefully remove cooled crusts from pan by using a sharp knife to loosen them. It’s possible that some of the edges may crumble a bit. It gives a rustic look! Pipe filling into crusts (about 3 tablespoons each). Before serving, top each pie with about 1/2 teaspoon cranberry compote. Top with sugared cranberries and orange zest. Serve remaining compote on the side.
Recipe by Southern Living
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