Mini Holiday Sugar Cookie Cups with Cheesecake Filling
These mini sugar cookie cups with no-bake cheesecake filling and a festive garnish of sugared cranberries and rosemary disappear fast at holiday parties!
Servings: 12
Calories: 228kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Piping bag (optional)
- Large round piping tip (Ateco #809) (optional)
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Cups:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅝ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
No-Bake Cheesecake Filling:
- ¼ cup heavy cream chilled
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- tiny pinch of salt
Garnish:
- 24 cranberries
- rosemary sprigs cut into 24 pieces
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup sugar divided
Instructions
Make the sugar cookie cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and cream the sugar with the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.½ cup unsalted butter, ⅝ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat to combine.2 large egg yolks, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined, being careful not to over mix. The dough should be moistened throughout but still a bit crumbly.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, scoop 1 Tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball using your hands, and place a cookie dough ball into each greased well of the mini muffin pan. You should have 24 balls of dough.
Bake the cookie cups.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or just until lightly golden.
- Immediately upon removing the muffin pan from the oven, use the back side of a teaspoon measuring spoon to press down the centers of each cookie, forming a cup. Let the cookie cups cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before carefully removing them from the pan and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the no-bake cheesecake filling.
- In a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.¼ cup heavy cream
- In large bowl using the electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- Add confectioners sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined.¼ cup confectioners' sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, tiny pinch of salt
- Add the whipped cream to bowl with the cream cheese mixture and fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake filling for at least 1 hour (or up to 12 hours).
Prep the sugared cranberries and rosemary.
- In a small saucepan, combine water and ¼ cup sugar. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved to create a simple syrup. Let the syrup cool slightly (2-5 minutes).
- Add cranberries and rosemary to the syrup a few at a time, stirring to coat. Transfer the syrup-coated berries and sprigs to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry slightly, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the remaining ¼ cup sugar to a small bowl.
- When the syrup has dried slightly so that the berries feel tacky, roll the berries and rosemary sprigs in the sugar a few at a time until coated. Place them on a dry piece of parchment to dry.
Assemble the cookie cups.
- Pipe or scoop 1 teaspoon of chilled no-bake cheesecake filling into each cooled sugar cookie cup.
- Top each dessert with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Storage: It’s best to enjoy these cookie cups shortly after assembling them, so I'd recommend storing the components separately, if possible and assembling the tarts shortly before serving. The sugar cookie cups can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, while the no-bake cheesecake filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you end up with leftover assembled cookie cups, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To easily remove the cookie cups from the muffin pan, slide a cake tester or small knife between the edge of the cookie and the side of the pan and lift gently upward. The cookie cup should pop right up out of the pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
