Red Velvet Mini Cheesecake Bites

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Red velvet cheesecake. These cheesecake bites are gifted with substance and style. The luscious red velvet cheesecake will cure your chocolate cravings — and look super adorable on your dessert table.

Oreo cookie crusts. Chocolate on chocolate is always a good idea. The oreo cookie crusts on these cheesecake bites intensifies the chocolate flavor from the red velvet cheesecake with the nostalgic flavor everyone knows and loves.

Super easy to make. Full cheesecakes seem to have an intimidation factor about them, what with all the worry about waterbaths, cracking, under/over baking, not opening the oven, getting it out of the pan, etc. These mini cheesecake bites are very straightforward and very easy to make.

Simple ingredients. Mini cheesecake bites come together with really simple ingredients you can find anywhere.

Mini desserts. At the end of a big meal, no one has to worry about saving room for anything. Everyone will have plenty of room for mini cheesecake bites.

Cute, cute, cute. We eat with our eyes first, and these little cheesecakes are lookers. So everyone will be drawn to just how darned cute these are. And once they have a bite, they’ll be hooked.

These mini cheesecake bites come together with really straightforward ingredients, which you can swap out to customize your own flavors.

Oreos. As a card-carrying member of the chocoholics club, I went for Oreos in this recipe to go with the chocolate in the red velvet cheesecake. But of course you can use any kind of cookie you like: Nilla wafers, chocolate wafers, graham crackers, shortbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies…

Butter. I always bake with unsalted butter, but if all you have is salted, just cut down the salt in the crust by half.

Cream cheese. When you’re making cheesecake, use room temperature, full-fat block cream cheese. Or you can lower the fat a titch with neufchatel. The cream cheese in the tubs is whipped and will create a vastly different texture, and not in a good way. You can read more about why that is here.

Sour cream. Sour cream helps smooth out the texture of the cream cheese. You can also use heavy cream or Greek yogurt. Or if for some reason you have creme fraiche, but not sour cream, you can use that, too. Whatever you use, let it come to room temperature.

Sugar. You’ll see there’s not a ton of sugar in these mini cheesecake bites. It’s rich and tangy, as any good cheesecake should be — a welcome contrast with the sweetness of the Oreo cookie crust and white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Vanilla. Pure vanilla extract adds a warm, rich flavor to cheesecake.

Salt. The salt in the Oreo cookie crust and cheesecake mixture won’t make it taste salty, it just boosts the flavor of everything. So please don’t skip it.

Egg. Let your egg come to room temperature before making these cheesecake bites. It will blend more easily in with the rest of the ingredients and create a smooth texture.

Dark cocoa powder. My obsession with dark chocolate knows no bounds. So I always use dark cocoa powder. Regular cocoa powder will work just fine, too.

Red food coloring. Maybe you already know why traditional red velvet cakes are red? It was the reaction caused by the cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar. Since these cheesecake bites do not have buttermilk or vinegar, I turned to red food coloring. Gel food coloring is my favorite, as it produces the most intense results. Since the food coloring is really just there for color, not flavor, you could skip it all together. But then your cheesecakes would just be… velvet?

Piping your cheesecake bites with this white chocolate cream cheese frosting amps up the chocolate AND the cheesecake flavors. And it’s so easy to make with just three ingredients.

Cream cheese. Just like with the cheesecake bites recipe, use room temperature cream cheese for the frosting, too, so it’s nice and smooth and creamy.

White chocolate chips. I use Nestle Premier White Morsels because they are a brighter white than the gourmet brands. But any white chocolate will work well.

Powdered sugar. Start with 2 cups of powdered sugar. The frosting needs to chill for a couple of hours before piping, but if after a couple of hours in the refrigerator it’s still too thin, add more powdered sugar until it’s the right consistency.

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Room temperature ingredients. The key to smooth and creamy cheesecake bites is using all room temperature ingredients. They mix together effortlessly and will help ward off lumps. So let your cream cheese, sour cream, and egg all come to room temperature.

Use block cream cheese. The cream cheese in tubs is whipped with air — and sometimes has other ingredients that can affect the texture. Use block cream cheese in the cheesecakes and frosting.

Sift in the cocoa powder. Sift in the cocoa powder to avoid creating lumps in your creamy mixture.

Par bake the Oreo cookie crusts. The Oreo cookie crusts need to be baked longer than the cheesecake. So baking them for 4-5 minutes is essential.

Chill the frosting. The room temperature cream cheese and warm melted white chocolate in the frosting ensure a smooth and creamy texture, but also make it too loose to pipe. So while the cheesecakes are cooling, chill your frosting, too.

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Preheat the oven to 350.

Line a mini-muffin tin with cupcake liners. This recipe makes about 30 mini cheesecake bites.

In a food processor or blender, crush the Oreos into crumbs. Add the melted butter and salt. Pulse until combined.

Place 1 ½ teaspoons of the Oreo crumbs into each cupcake liner. Bake for 4-5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the egg and mix until just combined.

Sift in the cocoa powder. Add the red food coloring. Mix until just combined.

Spoon the cheesecake mixture into the mini muffin cups. Each cup takes a little less than a tablespoon. You can fill them almost all the way to the top.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the centers are set, but still jiggle slightly.

If you’re like me and like to check the internal temperature, it should come to 150. Note, however, that your thermometer will leave a hole. So if you’re frosting them, it’s no big deal. But if you’re serving them unfrosted, you’ll want to rely on the jiggle method.

Place the mini muffin pan on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Then transfer your mini cheesecakes to the refrigerator to chill for about two hours.

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and use a mixer to whip it until it is creamy and fluffy.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to heat in 10-second increments until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Add the white chocolate to the cream cheese and mix until combined.

Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until it is incorporated. Mix on high until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Chill the frosting for a couple of hours. If the frosting is still too thin once it has cooled, add more powdered sugar until it reaches the desired consistency.

Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star or round tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the frosting onto your mini cheesecake bites. Add a mini Oreo for extra cuteness.

Store your cheesecake bites covered in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. You can also freeze your cheesecakes (frosted or unfrosted) for 3-6 months.

Cheesecake can crack for a few reasons. It could be because it’s overmixed or overbaked. It can also crack as they cool — and contract —- pulling away from the sides. Luckily, even if it has a crack, it will still taste great. If you don’t like the way it looks, just cover it with some whipped cream, ganache, or white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Cheesecake is done when the edges are dry and the centers slightly jiggle.

Yes, you can store your cheesecake bites in the freezer --frosted or unfrosted-- for 3-6 months.

Yes, you can make the cheesecake batter a few days ahead of time and bake them when you’re ready.

Yes, you can refrigerate the frosting for a few days before frosting your mini cheesecake bites.

Yes, this frosting freezes exceptionally well. Place it in a zip-top bag and place it in the freezer. Defrost it in the refrigerator. I like to run my mixer through the frosting after it defrosts so I can fluff it up a bit and check the texture. Sometimes I need to add a little milk if it's become too stiff, or a little more powdered sugar if it's become too soft.