Description
Effortlessly elegant and irresistibly creamy, these No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake Cups offer a perfect blend of festive gingerbread warmth in a convenient individual serving.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups crushed gingerbread cookies
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- Whipped cream, for topping
- Crushed gingerbread cookies, for topping
- Mini gingerbread men cookies, for decoration
- Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the Gingerbread Crust: Crush 1 ½ cups gingerbread cookies into fine crumbs. In a medium bowl, combine the crushed cookies with ¼ cup melted unsalted butter. Mix thoroughly until crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Press and Chill Crusts: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Distribute the gingerbread crumb mixture evenly among the cups. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of each cup. Chill the muffin tin in the refrigerator.
- Beat Cream Cheese: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 ½ cups softened full-fat cream cheese on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until incredibly smooth and creamy with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.
- Add Sugar and Spices: Sift ½ cup powdered sugar directly into the cream cheese mixture. Add 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, and ¼ tsp ground cloves. Beat on low speed until fully incorporated, then increase to medium-low and beat for another minute or two. Scrape the bowl down again.
- Incorporate Vanilla Extract: Pour in 1 tsp pure vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Whip Heavy Cream: In a separate, chilled bowl, pour 1 ¼ cups cold heavy cream. Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on high speed until it forms soft peaks.
- Fold in Whipped Cream: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two additions using a rubber spatula and a gentle, lifting motion until no streaks of white cream remain, and the mixture is uniformly light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Fill the Cups: Retrieve the chilled crusts. Carefully spoon or pipe the cheesecake filling evenly into each of the 12 paper-lined cups, filling them almost to the top. Gently tap the muffin tin to settle the filling.
- Chill Thoroughly: Cover the muffin tin loosely with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4-6 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the cheesecake filling to fully set and firm up.
- Garnish and Serve: Once thoroughly chilled and set, carefully remove each cheesecake cup from the muffin tin and gently peel away the paper liners. Top each cup with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, a sprinkle of extra crushed gingerbread cookies, a mini gingerbread men cookie, and a dusting of ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 60mg