No Bake Mini S’mores Cheesecake

At the beginning of summer break, my son asked me to make a s’mores pie. I had never heard of such a thing, but I was instantly intrigued by my son’s creative idea and became determined to come up with a recipe deserving of such a title.

Well, it turns out that s’mores pie is not so unique after all. A quick internet search that evening had me swimming in recipes donning the title. Nonetheless, I still wanted to create my own creative version of this dessert, so here it is.

Although I originally planned to make this dessert in a pie tin, I quickly reverted to using a muffin tin and making mini cheesecakes instead. I liked the idea of a no bake dessert for these hotter days, and I also wanted an individual-sized dessert to better help with portion control, so that is how this dessert came to be.

This recipe consists of a buttery graham cracker crust topped with a smooth chocolate ganache and a creamy marshmallow cheesecake layer on top. It is the perfect summer dessert for a casual family gathering, or serve it at a formal event simply by making the ganache the top layer and then topping it with toffee bits, nuts, or freeze-dried fruit.

This dessert is rich and creamy with a little bit of crunch and a whole lot of deliciousness. Recently, my neighbors got to try it without ever knowing it was my own recipe, and they couldn’t stop raving about how good it was. So, if you don’t trust my word word it, trust theirs! It’s a dessert you won’t want to miss out on!

NO BAKE MINI S’MORES CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 sleeve graham crackers (approximately 1 ½ c)
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 6 T butter, melted
• 11.5 oz milk chocolate chips*
• 3 T light corn syrup
• 1 ¼ c heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ t marshmallow flavoring OR vanilla extract
• ¼ c powdered sugar
• 7 oz marshmallow crème
• Optional toppings: toffee bits, drizzled chocolate, chocolate shavings, mini marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs, freeze-dried fruit, etc.

Instructions:

Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they turn into crumbs, then place in a mixing bowl with the cinnamon, brown sugar, and melted butter and stir until combined. Place approximately two tablespoons of the mixture in each greased muffin tin,** pressing down and slightly up the sides of each muffin tin. Place in the freezer to allow to set.

In the meantime, place the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a sauce pan over medium low heat and stir to combine. Once the chocolate chips start to melt, slowly add ¾ c heavy whipping cream, stirring constantly until completely combined with the melted chocolate. Remove from heat and set aside to slightly cool.

While the ganache is cooling, beat together the cream cheese, marshmallow flavoring (or vanilla extract), and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is creamy. In another mixing bowl, beat the remaining ½ c heavy whipping cream until fluffy and peaks start to form. Add the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture and beat once again until combined.

To assemble the mini cheesecakes, place a spoonful of the chocolate ganache over the graham cracker crust, then spoon a layer of the cream cheese filling over the chocolate layer. Or, if preferred, spoon the cream cheese layer over the graham cracker crust first and top with the ganache. Add any optional toppings desired, then set in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours to allow to set (if using fruit, wait to add until before serving).

Once ready to eat, slowly trace around each muffin tin with a butter knife, then pry each cheesecake out by the graham cracker crust. Makes 12.

*The milk chocolate chips can be substituted for semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.

**Alternatively, you can use muffin liners. I did half of my cheesecakes using this method. Just be sure to spray the liner with cooking spray first to make it easier to remove the liner agyer