This delectable and adorable Andes Mint Mini Cheesecakes Recipe combines chocolate graham cracker crust with creamy mint-flavored cheesecake, all topped with a swirl of rich chocolate and Andes Mint Candies. These little cuties make great party desserts and can be prepared and frozen ahead of time.
There is a special place in my heart for cheesecake. These little Andes mint cheesecakes are packed with decadent mint and chocolate flavors. They are the perfect balance between your sweet tooth and your workout! Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? If you love entertaining and cheesecake, then you may want to invest in a mini cheesecake pan. They are relatively inexpensive, and with removable bottoms, they make these sweet treats a breeze.
How do you make Andes Mint Mini Cheesecakes?
First, combine chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Divide evenly in the bottoms of the cheesecake pan. You can alternately use a standard muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Now using a stand or hand mixer on medium, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Turn the blender to low and add the egg, mint extract, and food coloring, mixing just until incorporated. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chocolate crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon allowing them to cool down slowly. Finally, chill them in the pan inside the refrigerator for several hours up to overnight.
Carefully remove them from the pan and slide off the round disks at the bottom of the cheesecakes. Melt chocolate chips according to the instructions on the packaging. Top each cheesecake with a heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate and a few pieces of chopped Andes mint candy. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Helpful tips for making Andes Mint Mini Cheesecakes
- Plan ahead and soften your cream cheese to room temperature. It will be much easier to beat it and get all of the lumps out.
- Warm your egg to room temperature.
- For best results, use full-fat cream cheese.
- Do not over-mix the cream cheese mixture after adding the egg, as this can cause too much air in the cheesecake.
- Do not open the oven door while they are baking, as fluctuations in temperature can cause cracks.
- After baking for 25 minutes, turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon, and allow the cheesecakes to cool down slowly.
- You can buy whole chocolate graham crackers and crush them in a food processor. It will take about 8-9 graham crackers, depending on how fine you crush them.
- These cheesecakes need to be stored in the refrigerator. They freeze well when double-wrapped in freezer bags and stored in a sturdy freezer container for up to 2 months. Remember to defrost in the fridge and not on the counter.
They are diminutive in size but not in flavor!! Packed full of chocolate and mint right up to the Andes mints on the top!
Other Mini Cheesecake Recipes you will love!
Andes Mint Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- Nonstick baking spray
- 1¼ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 8 ounce boxes of cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 4 drops green food coloring
- 1¼ cups chocolate chips
- 15 Andes mints coarsely chopped.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray the mini cheesecake pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Combine graham crackers, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and butter. Divide in the mini cheesecake pan evenly. Press down gently with a spoon.
- In a stand mixer, blend cream cheese and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, mint extract, and food coloring: mix just until incorporated on low. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate graham crackers, dividing evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon, and allow the cheesecakes to cool down slowly for only about 5-10 minutes, then remove them from the oven.
- Remove from oven and chill for several hours or overnight before removing from pan.
- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Top each mini cheesecake with a heaping tablespoon of chocolate and a few pieces of Andes mints.
Notes
- Plan ahead and soften your cream cheese to room temperature. It will be much easier to beat it and get all of the lumps out.
- Warm your egg to room temperature.
- For best results, use full-fat cream cheese.
- Do not over-mix the cream cheese mixture after adding the egg, as this can cause too much air in the cheesecake.
- Do not open the oven door while they are baking, as fluctuations in temperature can cause cracks.
- After baking for 25 minutes, turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon, and allow the cheesecakes to cool down slowly.
- You can buy whole chocolate graham crackers and crush them in a food processor. It will take about 8-9 graham crackers, depending on how fine you crush them.
- These cheesecakes need to be stored in the refrigerator. They freeze well when double-wrapped in freezer bags and stored in a sturdy freezer container for up to 2 months. Remember to defrost in the fridge and not on the counter.
Nutrition
On the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Kay
There are two slots for sugar.
One says 2 tbsp and the other says 1/4 and 2 tbsp.
Is the first one for the graham cracker base and the second one for the cheesecake mixture?
Beth Pierce
Yes let me correct that.
Michelle
Thank you soo much for this recipe! I’ve never made cheesecake before, but this looked too good to pass up. I found the mini cheesecake pans on Amazon and they worked perfectly. Just a note for anyone working with the chocolate I heated it up in a ceramic microwaveable bowl for the 45 sec, then put the bowl in a small pan of heated water on the stove (not boiling). Made the chocolate easy to work with. I am using them as Christmas presents. :). They came out perfect!!
Beth Pierce
I am so glad that they turned out great. They are cute little cakes. Merry Christmas.
Latisha
I just pulled mine out of the oven and they are beautiful! I can’t wait to put chocolate on them. Thanks for sharing. The color is perfect for my Christmas dinner.
Michelle
If i used a mini cupcake pan how long do you think i would need to bake them
Beth Pierce
They are very comparable in size…so cook the same amount of time.
Debra
the mini cheesecake pans I am familiar with are 12 with each well measuring 1.5″deep x 2″ diameter. I always use a regular size, 12 cup muffin tin with foil cup liners. (Each cup measures 1.25″ deep x 2.25 wide.
) seems to work well. Can serve with or without the foils.
Most of my regular 9″ pan recipes call for 4 eggs and 4 8-oz blocks of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar, crust needs 1-1/2 cups crumbs. Adjust flavoring to taste, ie: double or triple mint and increase chcolate for ganache. Ps, I am going to use ganache as I too have had problems with just melted chocolate becoming too hard when chilled. Pss, add 3/4 cup heavy cream to melted chips for ganache.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for all the wonderful info and taking the time to type it all up. Much appreciated!!!
Debra
Pleasure. Hope it will be useful ?
Maribel
I put chocolate over, but when I took a bite out of cheesecake, the chocolate was so hard that I couldn’t it bit through it. What is the chocolate you used? Was I suppose to let the cheese cake with the chocolate sit for a while, so it won’t be hard?
Beth Pierce
I am sorry Maribel that this recipe is causing problems. I have had a similar comment come in the last few days. I use Ghirardelli chocolate. I am not sure if that is the cause. I usually serve these during our parties and I wonder if the people that might have issues because maybe the chocolate was a little thicker on their cheesecake never say anything. I need to rework this recipe as some people are confused by my directions. I will probably cook this recipe again and do the chocolate on half of the cheesecakes and (per one of my readers) try chocolate ganache on the other half of the cheesecakes. Sorry again that this recipe caused issues. If you are interested watch this recipe for a update or I can connect with you after my test.
Maribel
I just read a comment above, we after taken out oven to we melt chocolate chips over or put the chocolate chips over after being refrigerated? Can you clarify.
bpierce
Refrigerate before pouring the chocolate over. The need to cool down. Thanks 😉
Erika
I made these and have 2 things I would change in the future. 1) I would add more mint extract and 2) I would use ganache instead of just melted chocolate chips. The chips became far too hard and I couldn’t break through with a fork. They caused the cake to completely collapse under the pressure of trying to get through the chocolate. I also felt they weren’t minty enough. Other than that, the cake itself was good.
Beth Pierce
Erika I am sorry to hear that you had trouble with the little Andes Cheesecakes. I am going to review that recipe again and cook in the next week. We usually serve those and similar ones for our parties. I have never had any issues but this is definitely of concern to me. I am not sure if maybe our guests were being overly polite or if possibly the chocolate was not as thick. I am not sure without giving it some serious review. I do love your idea for chocolate ganache. I am going to try six cakes with the chocolate and six cakes with the chocolate ganache. I may try just a pinch more mint but this is a personal preference as some people are very particular about their mint. LOL!!
Maribel
You have for the ingredients chocolate chips?? What kind of chocolate chips are these? Can I use Semi sweet chocolate chips?
bpierce
Yes semi-sweet would be perfect!!
Simone
Have you ever tried a vegan version of the cream cheese filling? what to replace best the eggs with? Does soy based cream cheese work?
bpierce
I am sorry I have not tried either. Wish I could help more.