Mini Biscoff Cheesecake

Individual Biscoff cheesecakes - Who doesn't want their own personal dessert? Rather than a more laborious full cheesecake, I decided to get personal with these mini speculoos cheesecakes. They're perfect for any type of gathering and are sure to please a crowd.

Lotus Biscoff flavor - These baked cheesecake cups are packed with a warm, caramelized flavor. Biscoff cookies are ground with butter to create a warm, spiced cookie base. Cookie butter (Biscoff spread) is added to the cheesecake filling, baked to perfection, then topped with melted cookie butter once cooled!

Perfect textures - the Speculoos cheesecake filling is dense, yet creamy, with a perfectly spiced crunchy, buttery crust. Add on the airy cloud of whipped cream and slight crunch of the extra cookies and you've got a ton of texture in every bite.

Traditionally a Belgian cookie, they're called biscoff cookies in the U.S. and speculoos cookies in Europe and the rest of the world. They are typically served with tea and coffee, and you'll oftentimes get them handed to you on flights.

Cookie butter, which is used in the filling and drizzled on the top, is made out of the crispy spiced shortbread cookies, ground and pulverized until the cookies break down, fats release, and a spreadable consistency forms. 

Cookie butter is the texture and consistency of creamy peanut butter. But, it has the flavor of biscoff, which is a warm-spiced, cinnamon-y caramelized flavor. It is simply one of the best things you'll ever eat!

• Biscoff spread. This recipe uses the creamy version, but you can also use the version with cookie bits. I typically buy the Trader Joes cookie butter, as it is a bit more wallet friendly than Lotus brand, but use whatever you can find! You can also order cookie butter online if you can't find any in stores.
• Biscoff cookies. In the U.S., you will primarily find Lotus brand biscoff cookies in the grocery stores.
• Cream cheese. Full fat, and preferably Philadelphia brand. This needs to be at a full room temperature. I set mine out about 6-8 hours before I plan to bake.
• Sour cream. Also full fat and at a true room temperature.
• Large eggs. Two of them, at a full room temperature.
• Unsalted butter. Melted - this is what binds the crust.
• Sugars. Granulated for the cheesecake and crust, powdered sugar for the whipped cream topping.

See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.

The reason I mention this with every dairy ingredient above is because room temperature ingredients homogenize best. If any of the dairy ingredients are cold, you will be left with a lumpy batter. Trying to get the lumps out can lead to over whipping, which is a cheesecake's worst nightmare.

Over whipping causes too much air to go into the batter, which typically results in a cracked top. The name of the cheesecake game is to go low and slow. We only want smooth cheesecakes in this corner of the internet!

• Use full-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
• Use crunchy Biscoff spread in place of creamy.
• Omit the cupcake liners if you don't have them. If using this method, you'll want to use an offset spatula to remove the mini Biscoff cheesecakes from the muffin tin.

• Use Philadelphia brand, block-style cream cheese. The flavor and texture is really unmatched.
• Use fully room-temperature dairy (cream cheese, eggs, sour cream). Using cold ingredients will result in a lumpy batter.
• Go low and slow when mixing the cheesecake batter. Whipping too much air into the batter can cause it to crack. Note that it's best to use a stand mixer if you have one (rather than a hand mixer) as the lowest speed on a stand mixer is quite a bit lower than on a hand mixer.
• Add a pan of boiling water to the bottom rack of the oven to create the creamiest texture and most even baking.
• Cool the cheesecakes slowly. In the oven with the door cracked, at room temperature, then in the fridge. This helps to prevent any major cracking and major sinking.

Store in the fridge, uncovered, for 5 days. It's best to add the whipped cream only before planning to eat them.

Freezing

To freeze, wrap each fully cooked and cooled cheesecake in plastic wrap, then place in a sealed container or ziptop bag. Freeze for up to two months.

To thaw, unwrap from the plastic wrap and thaw uncovered in the fridge, then top with whipped cream and crushed Biscoff cookies.