Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes

Pecan pie. Is there a more perfect fall dessert? Turns out, yes. 

I am a huge fan of pecan pie. And cheesecake. So it was only natural to combine the two into these adorable, bite-sized Thanksgiving treats. 

Yields: 24 mini cheesecakes

Time: 45 minutes (plus 30 minutes cooling)

Ingredients

For the crust: 

2 ½ cups vanilla wafers

3 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup butter, melted

For the pecan filling:

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup dark corn syrup

2 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

¾ cup pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling: 

3 8oz. packages of cream cheese (I use light or fat free)

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

4 eggs

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping: 

½ cup mascarpone cheese

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

3 tablespoons pecans, finely chopped

Instructions

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Place vanilla wafers into a large Ziploc bag, then use a rolling pin, your hands, or whatever you like to crush into little crumbs. Melt some butter and combine with the cookies.

Pour a scant tablespoon of crumbs into each cheesecake mold. Use your fingers to carefully press the cookies down to form a crust. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the crust turns a light golden brown. Set these aside and let cool while you work on the pecan filling.

For the pecan pie filling: In a large sauce pan, combine your sugar, dark corn syrup, butter, egg, pecans, and vanilla. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as this begins to boil, lower the heat to medium-low, then stir the mixture as it continues to reduce for about 10 minutes.

When the filling has reduced, pour a tablespoon on top of each cooled crust.

For the cheesecake filling: Whip 3 (8 oz.) containers of cream cheese. Once the cream cheese is smooth, add brown sugar and flour.

Eggs (one at a time), heavy cream, and vanilla go in next. Spoon a few cups of the cheesecake mixture into a small measuring cup — this will make it easier to pour.

Top off your pecan pie filling with a few tablespoons of cheesecake. Just make sure that the filling doesn’t go all the way to the top. (These will expand in the oven and then fall slightly as they cool.)

Bake for 18 minutes, or until cheesecakes are firm to the touch. When they’re finished baking, let them cool in the pan for about 30 minutes.

For topping: Whisk together mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar. Place a 1/2 tablespoon of the mascarpone-sugar mixture on top of each cheesecake. Use an offset spatula to smooth the topping into a small circle. Add finely chopped pecans for garnish.  

Recipe Source: http://www.tastyretreat.com/2010/11/mini-pecan-pie-cheesecakes/