Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes

September 16, 2009

My loaded sweet potato skins were featured on the Glamour Magazine Health and Fitness blog yesterday, how cool is that? Ever since I started my blog, I feel like I always have something to look forward to in my inbox, whether it’s an email update about a comment, a question from a reader, or a cool opportunity like this one!  So thank you for making food blogging so much fun!

So, I promised to tell you what I did with the extra sweet potato flesh I had after making the sweet potato skins. I knew I wanted to make a dessert. My first thought was to make a sweet potato cheesecake since I had some leftover cream cheese in the fridge, and I really wanted to do little mini layered cheesecakes, because they are just so cute! So, I mixed ginger snap crumbs with the mashed sweet potatoes and topped them with a creamy cheesecake layer mixed with pumpkin pie spice and crunchy pecans. I baked them in muffin cups, since I still haven’t gotten my hands on real mini cheesecake pan.  They turned out really well, but I need to stop talking about that pan and just order it!

Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Mix mashed sweet potatoes, crushed gingersnap cookies, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Line two muffin pans with cupcake wrappers and evenly spoon sweet potato mixture into 16 cups. Bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Push down sweet potato layer with a spoon and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl until smooth. Evenly spoon cream cheese mixture over the cooled sweet potato layer and top with chopped pecans. Bake at 350˚F for 28 to 32 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then cool in the fridge for an hour, or until chilled. Carefully remove cupcake wrappers from each mini cheesecake. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 256 calories, 16.7g fat, 2.7g fiber, 4.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

By Kerstin Sinkevicius
Page 1 of 11
  • http://peachkitchen.blogspot.com peachkins

    i love cheesecake but this is the first time i’ve seen sweet potato cheesecake…it looks wonderful.

  • http://www.foodforliving.wordpress.com Lauren

    I LOVE this idea!! I’ve made pumpkin cheesecake in the past, and the sweet potato is a nice alternative.

    Congrats for the potato skins feature :)

  • http://maplencornbread.blogspot.com/ Jen @ MaplenCornbread

    Oh my!!!!! YOu have won my heart! Im saving this recipe for Thanksgiving! I know my family will love these! great job!

  • http://bakeitafterall.blogspot.com Meghan

    These are sooooo cute!!! I love mini-cheesecakes and these have some great flavors – ginger, sweet potato, and pumpkin pie-yum!!! I’ve got that pan on my ‘list’ too :) That’s amazing your recipe was featured! Your recipes are so original and creative, it’s good to know they are receiving the deserved recognition!!!

  • http://bakingwithdynamite.blogspot.com Adam

    Many congrats on the Glamour publish. That’s so very cool, I bet it made your day:)

    I like how you used the sweet potato not only for flavor, but as a binder. It cuts down on the fat you’d use for the butter, which is a nice idea. These are awesome for Fall :)

  • http://Www.pink-apron.com Kelly

    Adorable. The flavors sound irresistable. Also, congrats on being featured.

  • http://www.livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com Natashya

    Congrats on your recipe spotlight!
    I love the mini cheesecakes, you are so creative!

  • http://guiltykitchen.com Elizabeth

    When I first saw this picture, I thought it was bacon on top! I think bacon might actually work with this, if it was candied with the pecans. All in all a fantastic recipe! Looks so good.

  • http://baseballbakingandbooks.com ingrid

    Oh, yum! What a terrific recipe. I love sweet potatoes. I’m going to make it even more unhealthy by topping mine with a marshmallow meringue! :) Thanks for sharing and congrats!
    ~ingrid

  • http://dolceinewyork.blogspot.com Dolce

    This looks great! Though unless you have a huge kitchen, since they turned out great in a muffin pan, why get something else?

  • http://paritaskitchen.blogspot.com/ Parita

    Wow what a wonderful idea!

  • http://cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.blogspot.com/ Reeni

    Congrats on being on the Glamour blog! That is so cool! I love these cheesecakes!! What yummy treats!

  • http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com maria

    These would make the perfect Thanksgiving dessert! Smaller portion so you can try other desserts…ha!

  • http://megan-deliciousdishings.blogspot.com Megan

    Love mini things! What a great way to use up leftovers. They look delicious!

  • http://www.kevnkoi.blogspot.com Katrina

    I love sweet potatoes! These look de-lish. I did a similar one last year with pumpkin, but the nuts look like they take these over the top! Congrats on the magazine/blog thing!

  • http://healthychow.com Nicole

    Just when I didn’t think those sweet potato skins couldn’t be topped, you come up with this! They look so good and are so cute. Plus, they’re the perfect little size! Congratulations on being on the Glamour blog – that is so cool! You deserve it – everyone should know about your wonderful recipes!

  • http://www.pigpigscorner.com pigpigscorner

    Congrats!! Love the sweet potato cheesecake!

  • http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/ lisaiscooking

    These look great with the pecans on top! The gingersnap crust sounds delicious too.

  • http://blissfullydelicious.wordpress.com/ Yudith

    Awww.. I love sweet potatoes!! ;-) They’re so adorable, perfect size, too!

  • http://helene-lacuisine.blogspot.com/ Hélène

    Congratulations! These sounds so good. I’ve never heard of a sweet potatoes cheesecake before.

  • http://www.nyctwinscook.blogspot.com rita

    those are so cute! i love sweet potato and i’ve been meaning to try it in a dessert, but i haven’t yet. thanks for the great recipe!

  • http://www.sweetnicks.com Cate O’Malley

    Those look mighty dangerous!

  • http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/ Pam

    Excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my chin. These little cheescakes look AMAZING!

  • http://fivestarfoodie.blogspot.com Natasha – 5 Star Foodie

    Congrats on being featured in the Glamour magazine! The mini sweet potato cheesecakes look scrumptious, such a creative recipe, beautiful!

  • http://thesplitpea.blogspot.com Eralda

    Yay for you! Congratulations!

    The cheesecakes sound heavenly right now. I love the use of the gingersnaps. Delicious! Can I have one ;)

  • http://www.sophiesfoodiefiles.blogspot.com Sophie

    What a great & delicious idea to use sweet potatoes in a dessert!! I so digg it!!

    Just lovely!!!

  • http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.blogspot.com Joanne

    If you hadn’t won my heart already with all of your delicious food, you would have done so solely on the basis of these cheesecakes. How fantastic! I ADORE sweet potatoes. And cheesecake. You can’t possibly get any better than a marriage of the two!

  • http://selbyfood.blogspot.com Selba

    Whoaaa.. sweet potato to make cheesecake? I want to try it :)

  • http://simplerecipes.me Juliana

    Sweet potato? I love it! I’ll definitely give a try :-) Looks so yummie!

  • http://madebymel.wordpress.com Melissa

    I love the combination of ginger snaps, sweet potatoes and pecans, yum! Congrats on the glamour spot as well!

  • http://www.foodforlaughter.blogspot.com Astra Libris

    Congratulations!! So cool, and very, very well deserved!!

    I get excited about anything involving sweet potato… :-) Your sweet potato cheesecake sounds incredible, and they’re gorgeous!! SO adorably perfect!!

  • http://girlichef.blogspot.com girlichef

    How cool…congratulations!! These are adorable and they sound sooooo delicious :D

  • http://www.lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com Monica H

    Uh huh! That’s what I’m talking about. I think I love you. These look fantastic!

  • http://stephscafe.blogspot.com Live.Love.Eat

    Wow, how adorable. I love anything mini but these are beyond cute.

  • http://www.bytes-from-texas.blogspot.com Lauren

    How cool – congrats on being featured on Glamour! These look delicious :)

  • http://www.visionsofsugarplum.om Emily

    Everything you make looks so delicious. I know I would love these. I loooove sweet potato. I know what you mean – I love emails and comments. Makes my day much more interesting.

  • Kerstin

    Thanks everyone!

    Dolce – Because I’m completely addicted to buying kitchen gadgets of course :)

    Ingrid – Oh, marshmallow meringue would be fabulous on top – YUM!

  • http://apinchofthisandadashofthat.blogspot.com/ CaSaundra

    I can’t believe I just found your blog–it rocks! Totally need to go & browse around now :-)

  • http://www.therookiechef.com Molly Jean

    Those look like delicious mini-cheesecakes!

    And HOLY COW AWESOME to your spotlight in the Glamour blog! That’s so neat, Kerstin!!!

  • http://www.aduckinherpond.com Blond Duck

    These are amazing!

  • http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com dawn

    kerstin! wow girl, these look amazing! nice!

  • http://judyskitchen.blogspot.com Judy

    Very clever of you to mix the sweet potatoes with the crumbs. I would have added the potatoes to the cheesecake. These look delicious.

  • http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/ peabody

    Those look wonderful, and very Fall like.

  • http://ingoodtasteblog.net maris

    These look so SO SO good! I want to make these for Thanksgiving!

  • http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/ deeba

    Congrats on being featured in the magazine…and these cheesecakes are precious kerstin! Just BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!! very clever & very very fall! Wonderful!

  • http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com grace

    totally unique and wonderful, kerstin! i thought the gingersnaps alone would make the crust, but i love that they were combined with the sweet potatoes instead. decadent, delicious treat. :)

  • http://www.wearenotmartha.com Sues

    Congrats on Glamour!! I absolutely love sweet potatoes and this looks like an awesome treat :)

  • http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com Wendy

    Congrats on the mention! Sweet potato cheesecake sounds wonderful. I’ve made sweet potato ice cream before and it was amazing.

  • kush

    I am *so* glad I’ve found your blog! Love this idea.

    Question: (in case you read this…) About how many sweet potatoes (or how many lbs.) do you think you need to boil in order to come up with 2 cups mashed?

  • Kerstin

    Kush – I used about half the flesh from 4 sweet potatoes (and used the rest for my sweet potato skins), so I think you’d be ok using all the flesh from 2 large sweet potatoes! Please let me know how you like them if you end up making them :)

  • jan

    I made these for a Thanksgiving dessert buffet, and they are VERY good. I made some adaptations to accomnodate a few special diets. I used Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese and Gluten-Free Gingersnaps…and I put just a bit of sugar (2 T?) I had to increase the “cream cheese” a little (50% or so) because of the consistency of Tofutti and that required the addition of a bit more spices, but mmmmm…..very tasty.

    Best of luck in the Bon Appetit contest !

  • Kerstin

    Jan – I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know :) Your substitutions for a lighter treat sound great!

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  • http://buttercreambarbie.blogspot.com Tia @ ButtercreamBarbie

    glamour… so awesome! way to go.

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