Easter Cheesecake Bites

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Celebrate spring with mini Easter cheesecake bites! These delicious mini cheesecakes have a light lemon flavor. Their tops feature a robin’s nest of shredded coconut with Cadbury mini eggs. Hatch the perfect Easter dessert for kids and adults!

📌 PIN EASTER CHEESECAKE BITES!

It’s easy to spread holiday joy with this fun dessert recipe. They’re ideal food gifts for family and friends. Serve bird’s nest mini cheesecakes for Easter brunch and spring baby showers.

🛒 INGREDIENTS

With just a few basic refrigerator and pantry items you can assemble this easy mini cheesecake recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

VANILLA WAFER CRUST

• Box of vanilla wafers
• Granulated sugar
• Butter

CHEESECAKE FILLING

• Cream cheese (bricks, not from tubs)
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Large eggs

DELICIOUS TOPPINGS

• Shredded sweetened coconut
• Mini Cadbury eggs

🥣EASY INGREDIENT SWAPS

Missing an ingredient? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the store. First, head to your fridge and pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.

• Butter: Margarine
• Vanilla Wafers: Graham crackers or Golden Oreos
• Vanilla Extract: Maple syrup
• Lemon Juice and Zest: Lime juice and zest
• Mini Cadbury Eggs: Jelly beans or speckled malted eggs
• No Easter candies? Top the shredded coconut nests with fresh fruit like raspberries, strawberries or blueberries.

When using one or more of these ingredient swaps, rest assured your desserts will still taste awesome. They’ll be dense, smooth, rich and moist.

BEST BAKEWARE FOR THIS RECIPE

When keeping portion size in mind, cheesecake bites are the perfect Easter desserts. They’re individual servings of holiday bliss! Make them in USA Pan bakeware. Today I’m using two 12-cup muffin pans.

For slightly larger cakes, reach for a mini cheesecake pan! Each well has straight sides and a removable bottom.

Spring is the season for refreshing your kitchen tools. Feel the joy of owning and using high-quality bakeware. You deserve the best. You’ve earned it. Grab a USA Pan through these Amazon affiliate links.

📖 RECIPE STEPS

VANILLA WAFER CRUST

RECIPE PREP: Line the wells of 2 cupcake pans with paper baking cups.

• STEP 1: Add vanilla wafers and sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to grind the cookies into crumbs. [No food processor? No problem. Pound the cookies into crumbs inside a zip-top bag by pounding them with the back of a metal measuring cup.]
• STEP 2: Add sugar to the bowl. Pulse briefly. Add melted butter. Pulse until incorporated. Turn off machine and remove the blade. With a rubber spatula, scrape down bottom and sides of the bowl. [If no food processor, add cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter to a bowl. Mix well.]
• STEP 3: Spoon just under 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla wafer crust into each well of the prepared cupcake pans.
• STEP 4: With the bottom of a shot glass, press crust firmly in place.

CHEESECAKE FILLING

RECIPE PREP: Adjust the top oven rack to the center position. Place second rack below it. Preheat oven to 325°F.

KITCHEN SMARTS: Save time. While prepping the cheesecake batter, have the shredded coconut toasting in the oven.

• STEP 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese for 4 to 5 minutes, until light, fluffy, and completely smooth with no lumps. This is very important. Do not shorten the beating time.
• STEP 2: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar. Beat briefly after each addition. Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula. Add salt, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix briefly. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing briefly after each – just until blended. Don’t over-mix.
• STEP 3: Spoon cheesecake batter over the crusts. Start by filling each crust with 2 tablespoons of batter. Then divide remaining batter between the mini cheesecakes. The paper liners will be almost full. Tap the pan on the counter several times to remove air bubbles. You may see some tiny bubbles rising to the surface and then popping.
• STEP 4: Put a shallow pan with hot water on the bottom oven rack. Place the Easter cheesecake bites on the top rack in the center of the oven. Bake 18 to 20 minutes (see info below). Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate mini cheesecakes in the baking pan for 2 hours or up to 1 day.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN CHEESECAKE BITES ARE DONE: You’ll have to eyeball these mini desserts rather than using a cake tester. They’re done when the edges are set and the tops are slightly puffed, rounded, smooth, and supple.

The centers will slightly deflate as they cool (as seen in the image below).

👩🏻‍🍳 HOW TO TOAST SHREDDED COCONUT

1. Adjust oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Spread out the coconut in an even layer on a baking tray.
3. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden blonde.
4. Remove from oven. Let it cool.

🧁 DECORATE THE MINI DESSERTS

1. Once the mini cheesecakes are completely chilled, carefully remove the paper cupcake liners.
2. Add 1/2 tablespoon of toasted shredded coconut to the top of each mini cheesecake. Shape it to resemble a bird’s nest.
3. Fill each nest with 3 chocolate candy eggs.

BEST SERVEWARE FOR EASTER CHEESECAKE BITES

Below are the Emile Henry appetizer platters in my personal collection. They’re oven safe and ideal for use all year round.

Grab your own set now through this Amazon affiliate link:

🧑🏼‍🍳 EXPERT TIPS

• Use room-temperature ingredients: For this mini cheesecake recipe it’s important to use room temperature ingredients. See “Recipe FAQ” for bringing eggs and cream cheese to room temperature.
• Remember the 2-hour rule for FDA food safety: Never let perishable ingredients sit out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. In temperatures above 90°F, don’t let them sit out longer than an hour.
• Use only 1 brand of cream cheese blocks: When making cheesecake bites, don’t mix and match different brands of cream cheese together. Each brand has their own combination of thickening agents. Incorporating different brands together can result in spots of creaminess within the cheesecake, while other spots have drier batter.
• Beat the cream cheese until smooth: Lumps in the batter come from the cheese. For a thick velvety cheesecake that’s beautifully smooth, spend enough time beating the cream cheese smooth.
• Add sugar and eggs gradually, not all at once: This will prevent the batter from becoming too runny. Mix on a slow speed, beating the batter briefly after each addition until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
• How to make Easter cheesecake bites more festive: Color the shredded coconut with green food dye. Put coconut in a zip-top bag. Add a few drops of food coloring. Rub bag to distribute the color evenly. Transfer coconut to a baking tray. Spread it out. Let it dry.

RECIPE FAQ

🐣 MORE EASTER DESSERTS

If you loved these Easter cheesecake bites, you’ll also enjoy these irresistible spring recipes.

• Robin’s Egg Easter Donuts
• Robin’s Egg Easter Cupcakes
• Bunny Cookies
• Lemond Bundt Cake
• Carrot Cake Scones
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes

RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Friends say these mini cheesecake bites are the best Easter desserts! If you agree, give this easy holiday recipe a 5-star rating in the comments.

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