Eggnog Crème Brûlée Mini Cheesecakes

Eggnog Crème Brûlée Mini Cheesecakes

The only thing better than an Eggnog Cheesecake...

...is an Eggnog Crème Brûlée Mini Cheesecake! What's not to love? Rich Eggnog cheesecake topped with a perfectly caramelized Creme Brulee coating - *and* you get one all to yourself! 😉 

I love eggnog, and I love Eggnog Cheesecake even more! And I don't know that it technically *needs* a brûléed top, but it adds so much flavor, texture, and dimension to the cheesecake! And really - who doesn't want to play with a brûlée torch? 😉 

Recipe for these Eggnog Crème brûlée mini cheesecakes and links to supplies are below! Merry Christmas, and happy baking!

FAQs

"Can I make these without a brûlée torch?"

You can! You can cover the tops of the cheesecakes with sugar, and place them in an oven on the broil setting - or I've even heard of people using a flamethrower or lighter! The downside is just that you'll have less control with those methods than you have with a brulee torch. So it may be harder to get an even caramelized coating without bits of it burning.
The torch I used and the butane fuel bottle (that's lasted over 4 years as I update this post) are still available on Amazon. Last time I price-checked (2023) you could buy both for less than $25! 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

Eggnog Crème Brûlée Mini Cheesecakes

Eggnog Crème brûlée Mini Cheesecakes

Sarah H
The only way to beat Eggnog cheesecake is to coat the top with baker's sugar and caramelize it with your brûlée torch!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cooling time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 mini cheesecakes
Calories 477 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Crust

Cheesecake:

  • 16 oz cream cheese softened (2 8-oz sticks)
  • ¾ c granulated sugar
  • 1 t vanilla bean paste
  • ¼ t salt
  • ¾ t nutmeg
  • ¼ t cinnamon (linked is my favorite brand)
  • ¼ c heavy whipping cream
  • ¾ c Eggnog I used Darigold
  • 6 egg yolks beaten until pale (save the whites for something else – I tried a meringue buttercream recipe!)

Brulee topping (save and use later)

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Use a rolling pin or food processor to pulse the gingersnaps into fine crumbs. Add sugar, salt, and melted butter and stir to combine. Press the crumbs into the bottoms of 4 mini springform pans. Use a spatula or the base of a glass to press into the pans.
  • Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to touch, wrap each of the pans in a piece of foil  – I recommend heavy-duty foil so it’s less likely to tear. Set aside. (While you’re waiting for the pans to cool, get a start on your cheesecake mixture!)  

Cheesecakes

  • Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides. Add ¾ c sugar, vanilla bean paste, salt and spices, and beat for another 3 minutes, scraping sides.
  • Gently stir in first the whipping cream and then the eggnog, and then mix in the beaten egg yolks. Stir until combined, but don’t beat for a long period of time – overbeating can incorporate air bubbles that can make bumps in the tops of your cheesecakes as they bake. The batter will be pretty thin.
  • Transfer the foil-wrapped cheesecake pans into a large high-sided skillet, or a roasting pan. Pour the batter evenly into the pans over the gingersnap crust. You could use a kitchen scale if you wanted them perfectly even, but I did okay without one.  Fill the skillet or roasting pan with HOT water from the tap. You want the water to go about halfway up the springform pans. Carefully set in the oven.
  • Bake at 325 for about 1 hour. You will know they’re done when mostly set in the center and don’t jiggle too much when you shake the pan. (some movement is ok—the cheesecake layers will continue to set as they cool. They just shouldn't be liquidy.) If the cheesecakes start to turn too brown, turn off the oven.
  • When the cheesecakes are mostly set, turn off the oven and crack the door – leave the cheesecakes in the oven to cool and set for at least 30 minutes. (They often crack if they cool too fast.)
    When the cheesecakes are mostly cool, remove from the water bath, and remove the foil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours – or preferably overnight.

Topping

  • (Of note, the caramelized sugar won’t stay hard in the fridge, so bruleé them just before serving.) After cheesecakes have chilled, remove the plastic wrap and loosen the sides of the pan. You may or may not need a knife; just release the spring very slowly.
  • Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar all over the tops of the cheesecakes. With the bruleé torch, melt and caramelize the sugar. Start slowly; it can burn if you get too close! Keep the torch moving at all times. The sugar is caramelized when it starts to bubble and smoke just a bit Let sit for a minute for the sugar to harden. And you're done! Enjoy! 

Video

Notes

*An option when you don’t have superfine sugar is to put some regular sugar into a blender or food processor for 30 seconds or so. Smaller granules help the sugar melt faster when you are torching it. Regular sugar will still work, but it's harder to caramelize it without burning. 
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate only) 

Nutrition

Serving: 1mini cheesecakeCalories: 477kcalCarbohydrates: 28.8gProtein: 12.8gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 412mgSodium: 550mgSugar: 12.8g
Keyword Christmas cheesecakes, Eggnog cheesecake, Eggnog creme brulee cheesecake, Eggnog creme brulee mini cheesecake
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