Lightened up with Greek yogurt, creamy, simple to make and delicious, these Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes will always be a hit!
Raise your hand if you love cheesecake!!
This recipe is adapted from The Greek Yogurt Cookbook which is now available in all major book stores 🙂
The one in my cookbook is called "Heavenly Cheesecake" (on page 135) but I decided to add some chocolate and mint to make them a little more festive for the holidays (or really any time of year).
And I made them mini-sized so that they would be adorable portion-controlled too!
I also used chocolate graham crackers and mashed them up to use for the crust. I used my new mini cheesecake pan that I just got (and LOVE) but a mini muffin tin would work perfectly too.
Don't you just love anything that is bite sized? It helps with portion control (unless you eat 10 of them... no judgement here) and makes you feel like you are eating more than you really are.
And if you are like me and enjoy giving homemade baked goods as holiday gifts, this makes it a whole lot easier (and prettier) than cutting up an actual cheesecake and handing out slices.
Am I right?
That would be weird. And maybe a little messy.
I am just going to stick with these little mini babies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate graham cookie crumbs
- 1 ⁄2 cup butter melted
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon plus 3⁄4 cup unrefined sugar divided use
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves diced
- ⅛ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about 1⁄2 medium lemon
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin pan and set aside.
- 2. In a small bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, butter, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press the mixture into the prepared pie pan, making sure to press evenly on the bottom and the sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- 3. Mix the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, remaining sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, diced mint leaves, peppermint extract and lemon juice in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. When the mixture is almost smooth, add the eggs, one at time, on low speed. Continue to beat on low speed until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges are brown. The middle will not be completely set. Cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
Nutrition
These really are the perfect little bites.
And chocolate and mint are a match made in heaven.
Dare I say that they are right next to my all time favorite of chocolate and peanut butter.
I don't use artificial colors but you can if you'd like to make it more festive for the holidays or even St. Patrick's Day. I chose to go natural with some good old chocolate.
You definitely do not need to add the pretty little mint leaf garnish, but they do make them look pretty, don't they?
And you know what, I added the mint leaves for show but you can go ahead and eat them too. They are completely edible so go for it!
Sad I used to have a mint bush but that's gone now.... sigh...
Ok back to these cream little cheesecakes.
I added the Greek yogurt so they don't completely taste like cream cheese. Although it has grown on me, I don't really love a strong cream cheese flavor.
That's why cutting it with plain Greek yogurt is just simply perfect.
Please come back and let me know if you make these mini cheesecakes or any of my other recipes. I love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoy these! Thanks so much for stopping by~
Carol
What is the nutritional info for this recipe.
Thank you.
lauren.kelly
Hello Carol. This is an estimate for nutritional information as it is from The Greek Yogurt Cookbook where the it is made into a cheesecake with 8 servings. One serving has 347 calories, 19.5 grams of fat and 8.5 grams of protein per SLICE. Thanks so much!
Carina
Do you think these would work made into one big cheesecake? If so, what size tin, and how much longer would the cooking time be? They look yumsome!
lauren.kelly
Hi Carina! Yes, it's actually a full size cheesecake in The Greek Yogurt Cookbook, I just made these cute minis for the blog 🙂 Here are the directions straight from the book:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9" pie pan and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker or cookie crumbs, butter, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press the mixture into the prepared pie pan, making sure to press evenly on the bottom and the sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Mix the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, remaining sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. When the mixture is almost smooth, add the eggs, one at time, on low speed. Continue to beat on low speed until smooth. Pour into the pie pan and bake for 60 minutes until the edges are golden brown. The middle will not be completely set. Cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Top with fresh berries if desired. Serve cold.
Let me know how you like it!
Melissa from HungryFoodLove.com
Those mini guys look perfect! Wow! I wonder how many I could eat in one seating. They seriously look so well made.
lauren.kelly
Thanks Melissa! 🙂
GiGi Eats
WOW SO DELICIOUS! I would eat one for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
lauren.kelly
Go for it! 😉
Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie
These look so good! I love chocolate and mint, and these little treats look like the perfect dessert for holiday entertaining!
lauren.kelly
Thank you Aida!