Maple Pecan Cheesecake Cups

These maple pecan cheesecake cups are packed with all the quintessential New England flavors. There’s just something so cozy about individual cheesecakes in a glass. This is a no bake recipe, so you can make these cups without ever having to put your oven on. They’re quick to assemble too, so you can be comfy on your couch by the fire eating one in no time.

This recipe can be thought of in three components: the pecan crust, the maple cheesecake filling, and the whipped cream topping. The shorter, printable version can be found below, but read on if you want more detailed instructions.

How to Make Pecan Crust

Most cheesecake recipes call for a graham cracker crust. I’ve got nothing against graham crackers, I love a good s’more around the campfire and all, but I wanted to try something different for this maple cheesecake cup recipe. I desired something that would elicit the warmth of New England in the middle of winter. Enter: pecans!

I once saw the lovely Molly Yeh make a pistachio cheesecake crust on her Food Network show Girl Meets Farm. So I thought, if she could make a pistachio crust then I certainly could make a pecan one.

I love how delicious this crust smells and tastes. To make it, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup of pecan halves
• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Measure out one cup of pecans and then place them into a small Ziplock bag. Push as much air out of the bag as you can and then seal it tight. Then, lay the bag flat on your counter, cover it with a cloth napkin, and use a mallet to crush the pecans. This will make it easier for your food processor to blend them.

Next, pour the pecans into your food processor and add the sugar and salt. Blend for about 15 seconds, until there are no large chunks. Then, add in the butter, but be sure to slice it up into one-tablespoon pieces rather than putting one big chunk in. Pulse until combined.

Equally distribute the pecan crust into your glasses. You can use mini mason jars or any other glass cups you already have in your kitchen. Depending on how big the glasses are, you should be able to make about 4-6 cheesecake cups.

Use the end of a small wooden rolling pin or the back of a mixing spoon or spatula to pack the pecan crust down into the bottom of the cups. Then set aside and get working on the maple cheesecake filling.

How to Make Maple Cheesecake Filling

Living in New Hampshire, maple syrup is obviously a staple food item, and I love looking for new ways to use my stash. Maple and pecan are two flavors that complement each other beautifully. It is very important to use real maple syrup in this recipe, not the fake stuff that they pass off as “pancake syrup” at the market.

To make this cheesecake filling, you will need the following ingredients:

• 16 oz of cream cheese (two 8oz packages)
• ½ cup of dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ cup of real maple syrup
• ¼ cup of heavy cream
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

In your KitchenAid mixer, with the whisk or whip attachment, blend the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on low speed until combined. Then, add in the maple syrup and heavy cream and whisk on medium speed. Finally, add in the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Whisk on high for about a minute until all ingredients are combined and the filling is firm but smooth.

Use a spoon or a cookie scoop to equally distribute the cheesecake filling into all of your glasses. As you go, use your spoon to smoosh the filling down so that it coats all sides of each glass and then smooth out the top. Place the cups in your fridge for one hour. Right before you are ready to serve them, you can begin whipping up the whipped cream topping.

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

If you have a stand mixer, making homemade whipped cream is ridiculously easy. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back to buying it in a can or a container again. For this recipe, I’ve added a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to the whipped cream, which gives it a delicious winter spice flavor. The ingredients you will need are:

• ¾ cup of heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar

In your KitchenAid with the whip attachment, whisk together the heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract on medium speed. Then, add in the powdered sugar. Let the mixture whisk for 5-10 minutes until it forms the consistency of whipped cream. That’s it! So easy! Scrape spoonfuls of the whipped cream on top of your cheesecake cups and garnish with pecans halves if you desire.

Serve and enjoy these maple pecan cheesecake cups for dessert around a warm kitchen table on a cold winter day. 

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