These mini cookie butter cheesecakes with Biscoff cookie crust combine the delightful spiced flavor of speculoos with rich and creamy cheesecake for the ultimate cookie butter-lover's indulgence!
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If you're the kind of person who loves cookie butter so much that you could eat it with a spoon, then
- Let's be friends. 😉
- You need this cookie butter cheesecake recipe in your life!
These mini cookie butter cheesecakes are my new obsession! As if I needed another reason to love cookie butter, the sweet and spiced flavor of Biscoff cookie butter pairs so beautifully with the rich creaminess of homemade cheesecake.
They're made with a Biscoff cookie crust and a cookie butter topping, so there's Biscoff cookie goodness is every single layer of these decadent mini desserts!
And best of all, they're quick and easy to make in a muffin pan (no water bath necessary!).
What is Biscoff cookie butter?
Biscoff (or speculoos) cookies are crispy shortbread cookies from Belgium with a spiced, caramelized flavor. Cookie butter is made from blending Biscoff cookies with oil and sugar to create a sweet, spiced paste with a creamy texture just like peanut butter.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Biscoff cookies - Biscoff cookies lend their sweet, spiced flavor and crunch to the crust of these mini cheesecakes.
Cookie Butter - Cookie butter bring the flavor of Biscoff cookies in creamy peanut butter-like form. Cookie butter flavors the cheesecake filling and tops the mini cheesecake for an ultra rich and beautifully spiced flavor.
Cream Cheese - Cream cheese is the key ingredient that puts the cheese in cheesecake. To achieve the proper texture, be sure to use full-fat block cream cheese that's room temperature when mixing the cheesecake.
Sour Cream - Sour cream, along with heavy cream, helps to soften the cream cheese to create a cheesecake filling that's smooth and not overly dense. Make sure yours is room temperature, just like the other dairy ingredients (plus eggs)!
Eggs - Egg helps to thicken and bind the cheesecake filling.
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A standard muffin pan for baking the cheesecakes.
- 12 muffin liners for lining the muffin pan.
- A food processor for blending the crust. If you don't have a food processor you could use a knife to finely chop the ingredients before mixing together in a bowl, but a food processor will make this step much easier.
- An electric hand mixer for mixing the cheesecake. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment can be used instead.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place 12 muffin liners into a standard muffin pan and set aside.
Step 2: Make the crust. Add biscoff cookies and brown sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs.
Step 3: Add melted butter and blend until combined and the crumbs begin to stick together.
Step 4: Divide the crust among the 12 muffin liners and press the crumbs into a solid crust using the back of a spoon.
Step 5: Bake the crusts for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven down to 325°F. Let the crusts cool while you prepare the cheesecake.
Step 6: Make the cheesecake. In a large bowl, add cream cheese, cookie butter, sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Using an electric handheld mixer, beat well on medium speed until smooth.
Step 7: Add egg and yolk and beat on low speed just until combined.
Step 8: Spoon cheesecake onto the crusts so that muffin liners are nearly filled.
Step 9: Return the pan to the 325°F oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of each cheesecake are set but the centers still wobble slightly when you jiggle the pan.
Cooling & Chilling: Turn off the oven and let the cheesecakes sit in the warm oven with the door closed for 10 minutes. Then crack the oven door open and let the cheesecakes sit for another 10 minutes. Next transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the cheesecakes to cool completely (about 1 hour). Finally, transfer the pan to the fridge and chill the cheesecakes for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Step 10: Garnish the cheesecakes. Once the cheesecakes have chilled and set, heat the cookie butter topping in the microwave on 50% power until it's pourable.
Step 11: Spoon or drizzle 1 teaspoon of cookie butter onto each cheesecake.
Step 12: Chill cheesecakes for 30 minutes to let topping solidify. Then let rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
For the smoothest cheesecake, be sure that all of the dairy (cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream) and eggs are room temperature. If you need to warm up your cream cheese quickly, cut it into smaller cubes and let it sit on the counter until it comes to room temperature.
If you have them, cookie scoops are great for portioning the cheesecake into the muffin liners.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Speculoos is the generic name for A Belgian spiced shortbread cookie, while Biscoff (a mashup of 'biscuit' + 'coffee') is the brand name used by Lotus Bakeries for their speculoos cookies sold in North America.
Mini cheesecakes are finished baking with the centers are still slightly wobbly (give the pan a slight jiggle to check) with set edges. The cheesecake will continue to set as it cools, so a slightly jiggly center is the ideal time to turn off the oven. If the center is still very jiggly (or even wet), the cheesecake needs to continue baking. If the center is firm, the cheesecake may be over baked.
Muffin liners are the secret to easy mini cheesecakes. By baking the cheesecakes in muffin liners, you're able to easily lift up the edges of the liner to remove the cheesecakes from the pan. The liners should pull off of the cheesecakes cleanly, so you won't have any smooshed edges from trying to pry the cheesecakes out of the pan with a knife.
Storage Instructions
For food safety reasons, cheesecake must be stored chilled. Do not store cheesecake at room temperature or leave out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Refrigerator: Cheesecakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, sealed in an airtight container. Let the cheesecakes sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Freezing: Mini cheesecakes can be frozen, sealed in an airtight container, for up to one month. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge, then let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
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Recipe
Mini Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecakes
Special Equipment
- 1 standard muffin pan
- 12 muffin liners
- 1 food processor
- 1 electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Crust:
- 4 ounces biscoff cookies (about 15 cookies)
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake:
- 12 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup biscoff cookie butter
- ⅜ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
Topping:
- ¼ cup biscoff cookie butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place 12 muffin liners into a standard muffin pan and set aside.
Make the crust.
- Add biscoff cookies and brown sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until there are fine crumbs with no large chunks remaining.
- Add melted butter and blend until combined and the crumbs begin to stick together.
- Divide the crust among the 12 muffin liners and press the crumbs into a solid crust using the back of a spoon.
- Bake the crusts for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven down to 325°F. Let the crusts cool while you prepare the cheesecake.
Make the cheesecake.
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, cookie butter, sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Using an electric handheld mixer, beat well on medium speed until smooth.
- Add egg and yolk and beat on low speed just until combined.
- Spoon cheesecake onto the crusts so that muffin liners are nearly filled. (You'll use about 3 Tablespoons of cheesecake per liner, and you may have a little bit of cheesecake leftover.)
- Return the pan to the 325°F oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of each cheesecake are set but the centers still wobble slightly when you jiggle the pan. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecakes sit in the warm oven with the door closed for 10 minutes. Then crack the oven door open and let the cheesecakes sit for another 10 minutes. Next transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the cheesecakes to cool completely (about 1 hour). Finally, transfer the pan to the fridge and chill the cheesecakes for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Garnish the cheesecakes.
- Once the cheesecakes have chilled and set, heat the cookie butter topping in the microwave on 50% power until it's pourable.
- Spoon or drizzle 1 teaspoon of cookie butter onto each cheesecake.
- Chill cheesecakes for 30 minutes to let topping solidify. Then let rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Lauren
This was one of the easiest cheesecake recipes I’ve ever made. And they were so delicious!