These little gems are going to be the talk of your Thanksgiving table! Be prepared to hand out lots of copies of the recipe, because everyone will want to learn how to make these.

The texture is creamy and luxurious, just like a regular cheesecake. This appeals to most people. Then there is the Salted Caramel Sauce topping that just puts these over the top in the WOW factor department.

But the real finishing touch is the flakes of sea salt that is sprinkled on at the very end. Now that is one terrific holiday dessert! Taste, presentation and perfection in one tiny package.

 

INGREDIENTS

For The Crust

1¾ cup (220g) finely crushed graham crackers (about 14 full sheets)

2 Tbsp. (28g) granulated sugar

6 Tbsp. (86g) salted butter, melted

 

For The Filling

1 cup (215g) packed light-brown sugar

6 Tbsp. (75g) granulated sugar

3 Tbsp. (30g) all-purpose flour

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

3 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened well

4 large eggs

1½ cups (362g) canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream

1 jar caramel sauce (or homemade recipe)

Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon*

Chopped pecans or lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

For the crust:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together crushed graham crackers with 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Pour in melted butter and stir mixture until evenly coated. Divide graham cracker mixture among 24 paper lined muffin cups (in a regular-sized muffin pan), adding about a heaping Tbsp. to each. Firmly press mixture into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling.

For the filling:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until no clumps of sugar remain (break up any little clumps with your fingertips). Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl, pour sugar mixture over cream cheese and using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in eggs one at a time. Blend in pumpkin and vanilla, then mix in heavy cream. Tap bowl forcefully against countertop to release some of the excess air bubbles, about 30 times. Divide mixture over graham cracker crust in muffin liners, adding about 1/4 cup to each cup and filling nearly full. Bake in preheated oven until nearly set (no longer very jiggly), about 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature, 30 minutes. Then transfer to refrigerator and chill 3 hours until set. Top with caramel sauce and a pinch of sea salt just before serving. Add pecans or whipped cream if desired. Store (caramel and cheesecakes separate) in refrigerator in an airtight container.

*Alternately you can mix in 3/4 – 1 tsp fine sea salt with the sugar/water mixture when making the caramel rather than topping them with sea salt.

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Quick Tip:  When judging whether or not these are done baking, they will still look soft when you pull them out of the oven. They will not have a texture like a regular cheesecake until they have been thoroughly chilled. You can make these in advance and store them in your fridge for a day, or freeze them for a few weeks and then thaw them in the fridge. But do NOT cover them with the caramel until you are ready to serve them, or they will get soggy.

Recipe and image courtesy of Jaclyn at Cooking Classy