Mini Santa Hat Cheesecakes (2024)

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by Rachelon Dec 2, 2013 (updated Mar 25, 2024) 586 comments

The perfect holiday cheesecake recipe. Mini eggnog flavored cheesecakes with a chocolate crust, topped off with fresh sweetened whipped cream and strawberry Santa hats. An adorable addition to any holiday party.

It’s officially December. How did that happen? Did you get that memo? I think mine got lost in the mail or maybe sent to spam… or tossed in the recycling bin. I’m kind of in shock about it. We’ve obviously been prepping for this for months, given that stores like Target thrusted it at us even well before Halloween! I’ll admit, I had my usual ‘oh come on‘! annoyance over it but at the same time I kind of got the teensiest bit giddy over it all too.

So, I don’t totally mind that it’s already December. I’m excited in a way. It’s something new to think about but I swear it’s already screaming by and it’s only just begun. Woooah settle down there, right? But no, seriously. I mean just think, it was seriously just 1999. Or something like that. And here it is, December… the Eve of 2014. I can’t even. I don’t want to think about it.

So okay, our tree is up and we’ve already been having Christmas movie marathons. Is your tree up yet? I swear that’s what my Instagram feed was full of this weekend – lots and lots of people setting up their trees and other holiday decorations. And holiday baking music is in full effect … much to the Mr’s dismay. He isn’t exactly a fan of the same songs over and over just with slight variations by different people. I can totally get into it though. The kids are of course excited about Christmas and Santa so it seemed fitting to kick off a month of sweet tooth adventures with an adorable and totally festive treat. Right?! No tiptoeing in. It’s time to jump in and get cozy!

You know how completely obsessed I am with mini things, especially mini cheesecakes. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s time to catch up. Go ahead, take a peak (HERE) and see what you’ve been missing. Who could resist a super cute Santa hat cheesecake? It’d be the hit of your holiday party with both adults and kids! Take it a step further and give it a dusting of sugar for the ultimate touch. I really wanted to call these “snow dusted Santa hat cheesecakes” but I thought that was a bit long so… mini Santa hat cheesecakes it is.

Creamy mini eggnog cheesecakes sit on top of chocolate crusts. Homemade sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries create the perfect Santa hat, with a finishing touch of powdered sugar for the snow. These are an absolute must make this holiday season!

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Mini Santa Hat Cheesecakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 12 hours hrs

Yield: 12 cheesecakes

Mini eggnog flavored cheesecakes with chocolate crust, topped off with fresh sweetened whipped cream and strawberry Santa hats.

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Ingredients

Crust:

▢ 10 Chocolate sandwich cookies, see note
▢ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
▢ 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Filling:

▢ 12 oz cream cheese, softened
▢ 1/2 C granulated sugar
▢ 1/2 C eggnog
▢ 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla
▢ 1/4 tsp salt
▢ 1 large egg

Whipped cream:

▢ 1/2 C heavy cream
▢ 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
▢ 12 Strawberries

Equipment

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan.
In a food processor, blend cookies until only fine crumbs remain. Combine crumbs with butter and sugar. Divide between prepared cheesecake cavities, adding 1 small cookie scoop of crust mixture to each cavity. Press down firmly to create an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
In a large bowl or stand mixer beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until fluffy and smooth. With mixer running on low, slowly add eggnog, flour, vanilla and salt. Gradually increase speed, mixing until no lumps remain. Finally, add egg, mixing until combined and no streaks remain.
Divide batter between cheesecake pan cavities using a medium scoop. Add roughly 1 and 1/4 medium scoop or a heaping scoop to each cavity. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cheesecakes are set.
Allow cheesecakes to sit in pan on a wire rack until they are room temperature. Transfer cheesecakes to refrigerator to chill overnight or until chilled through.
In a medium bowl, beat together heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Carefully remove cheesecakes from pan, removing the pan disc from the crust. Top off with whipped cream and strawberries. Sprinkle with optional powdered for a snow dusted look.

Notes

*For the crust, use 10 whole Oreo cookies minus the cream filling (or 20 chocolate cookies, no filling).

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 190mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 628IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keywords: Cheesecake

More holiday recipes to try:
Eggnog cranberry swirl cheesecake bars
Apple cranberry crumb pie
Mini eggnog cheesecakes
Peanut brittle
Gingerbread Kiss cookies
White chocolate peppermint bark cheesecake
Gingerbread cheesecake
Snowflake peppermint bark

586 comments on “Mini Santa Hat Cheesecakes”

Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:15 pm Reply
I like Baked by Rachel on Facebook.
Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:17 pm Reply
I shared your recipe and giveaway on Facebook.
Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:18 pm Reply
I follow Baked by Rachel on Pinterest.
Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:20 pm Reply
I pinned these adorable mini cheesecakes on Pinterest. (I’d leave a link but I can’t seem to paste anything into your comments.)
Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:21 pm Reply
I follow @BakedByRachel on Twitter.
Anne — December 6, 2013 @ 11:22 pm Reply
I’m an email subscriber to Baked by Rachel, which is how I learned about this excellent giveaway and your cute Santa hat mini cheesecakes.
Katie S. — December 7, 2013 @ 9:14 am Reply
I am dying to make these eggnog cheesecakes for Christmas!
Lya S. — December 7, 2013 @ 11:07 am Reply
Liked and shared. I am so excited to make these eggnog cheesecakes!!
kathryn armstrong — December 7, 2013 @ 12:48 pm Reply
Really want to try these mini cheesecakes! Love the pan, would have a blast playing with it, lol.
Candice — December 7, 2013 @ 1:44 pm Reply
I want to try the bailey’s mini cheesecakes! Love me some irish cream!!
Cathy B — December 7, 2013 @ 1:59 pm Reply
I like you on FB
Cathy B — December 7, 2013 @ 2:00 pm Reply
I really want to try these mini eggnog santa cheesecakes, they’re adorable!
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:01 pm Reply
Eggnog raspberry swirl cheesecake bars have been on my list to make since I saw them
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:02 pm Reply
I like you on facebook
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:05 pm Reply
I shared on facebook. I’d leave you a public link but it won’t seem to let me past into the comment box?
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:06 pm Reply
I follow on pinterest-immortalb4
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:07 pm Reply
I pinned this recipe
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:07 pm Reply
I follow on instagram-immortalb4
Meghan Finley — December 7, 2013 @ 3:08 pm Reply
I follow on twitter @Immortalb4
Michelle Tucker — December 7, 2013 @ 11:31 pm Reply
I’d like to try the gingerbread cheesecake
Michelle Tucker — December 7, 2013 @ 11:32 pm Reply
Follow via Facebook, Michelle Tucker
michelletucker at baconnation dot net

See Also
Classic German Chocolate Cake
Michelle Tucker — December 7, 2013 @ 11:32 pm Reply
Follow on pinterest
pinterest.com/iiiyadirf
Michelle Tucker — December 7, 2013 @ 11:32 pm Reply
Follow on instagram, michedt
Michelle Tucker — December 7, 2013 @ 11:33 pm Reply
Follow via email
michelletucker at baconnation dot net
Cyndi — December 8, 2013 @ 3:05 am Reply
I want to try the santa hat mini cheesecakes.
Cyndi — December 8, 2013 @ 3:06 am Reply
Following on Pinterest
Debbie Jackson — December 8, 2013 @ 6:50 am Reply
The eggnog cheesecake or raspberry swirl cheesecake
roddjackson at hotmail dot com
Debbie Jackson — December 8, 2013 @ 6:50 am Reply
fblike as debbie jackson
roddjackson at hotmail dot com
Debbie Jackson — December 8, 2013 @ 6:51 am Reply
pin follow as jacksondeb
roddjackson@hotmail dot com
Sasha Estrada — December 10, 2013 @ 8:13 pm Reply
Is there a good substitute for the eggnog? I don’t like eggnog.
- Rachel — December 11, 2013 @ 7:40 am
  I would recommend making this Cookies and Cream Cheesecake instead and just leave the cookies out of the filling if desired.
Cathy — December 19, 2013 @ 9:43 am Reply
I don’t have a mini-cheesecake pan, but would a mini muffin pan work? I used it for a different mini-cheesecake recipe but wanted to make sure it would work with this recipe. Thanks! :)
- Rachel — December 19, 2013 @ 2:07 pm
  Yes, it would. Just be aware that it won’t be the exact same size. It will be wider and shorter than the ones you see here due to the difference in pans. Be sure to use liners with your pan. Good luck and enjoy!
Kelly — November 29, 2014 @ 7:13 am Reply
I have crushed oreo cookie crumbs (already done) what would be the measurement I would use?
- Rachel — November 29, 2014 @ 10:24 am
  It’s roughly 1 cup. Please note that the recipe uses whole cookies with filling, so using pre-crushed cookies without the filling will offer a different consistency and flavor. You may or may not need to adapt slightly due to that change.
Donna — December 9, 2014 @ 10:18 pm Reply
What can I use to replace the eggnog? Most so my family dislikes the taste of eggnog. Your food photography is beautiful.
- Rachel — December 10, 2014 @ 7:51 am
  If you check out my cheesecake category, there are a bunch of mini options. You could simply substitute with one of those. The best option would be the cookies and cream mini cheesecakes, and perhaps just leave out the cookies that are called for in the filling.
Melissa — December 10, 2014 @ 11:58 am Reply
Hello I hope you will respond to this I know it’s an older post. What can I do if I don’t like eggnog? Can I just leave it out or do I have to sub for something else?
- Rachel — December 10, 2014 @ 4:31 pm
  I have other mini cheesecakes that can be used in place of this. The best option is the cookies and cream cheesecake. Enjoy!
Marieke — December 12, 2015 @ 5:29 am Reply
I can’t find the recipe for the sweet cheesecake santa hats!
- Rachel — December 12, 2015 @ 8:11 am
  The recipe is on the page. It hasn’t gone anywhere. :)
Arielle — December 21, 2015 @ 1:22 pm Reply
Can I make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate for 1 day?
- Rachel — December 21, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
  I haven’t personally done this, but I imagine it would work just fine. Be sure to press plastic wrap to the surface and bring the batter to room temperature prior to baking.
Sam // DIY Just Cuz — December 22, 2015 @ 6:47 pm Reply
Hi Rachel! I looove your blog and your work is phenomenal. I put together a Mega Christmas Guide on our blog with lots of resources and ideas for making the most of Christmas and I linked to your cheesecake recipe.
Also, I feel sad to say this, but another blog (apparently it’s a “collector inspiration channel” was the original link I had. I was disappointed to see they have so many shares on Pinterest for something that is your work. I don’t know if you were already aware but just FYI.
- Rachel — December 24, 2015 @ 7:25 am
  Thanks so much for letting me know! I appreciate that! And thanks so much for including me. Have a wonderful Christmas! :)
Karen — June 25, 2016 @ 8:17 pm Reply
Is there any specific recipe for eggnog that I should use? I live in New Zealand and don’t think it is possible to find preprepared eggnog.
- Rachel — June 27, 2016 @ 7:29 am
  At this time I don’t have a homemade recipe, but I’m sure a simple internet search will give you plenty of choices. Good luck and enjoy!
Karen — November 23, 2016 @ 4:35 pm Reply
Hi Rachel, I thought I would do a test run of these gorgeous cheesecakes before our party if you weeks. Do you remove the cheesecakes from the pan before you refrigerate them or do you wait until they’re chilled in the pan and remove them following day? I’ve never used these little mini cheese cake pans before so I’m a little nervous that they may stick .
- Rachel — November 24, 2016 @ 6:53 am
  Chilling is very important for all cheesecakes. It helps them to set and firm up before removing from the pan.
Anne Beth — December 2, 2016 @ 11:26 am Reply
Excited to make these but wanted to clarify the cookie base. You used oreos with or without the creme filling? I I do have oreos but had read your note saying without the filling so grabbed plain chocolate wafer cookies to crush. I saw in one of your comments to a previous question that the cookie crust may not be the same if not using Oreos. Thanks!
- Rachel — December 3, 2016 @ 8:26 am
  The filling is removed from the cookies prior to making the crust. Using other chocolate cookies can be a problem if their consistency or moisture level is different than what is recommended in the recipe. Good luck!
Aimee Turner — December 10, 2016 @ 11:21 am Reply
I tried the recipe today and most of them fell in the center. Should I have baked them longer than 18 minutes? What else should I have done to keep them from falling?
- Rachel — December 11, 2016 @ 7:59 am
  That can happen with cheesecakes when there isn’t a side crust. It can be as simple as not greasing the pan properly, the timing of cooking or over mixing the batter. It will hide well with this recipe since you’re already going to top them off with whipped cream and strawberries! :)
Lila Salvador — November 20, 2018 @ 9:50 am Reply
Can i bake in mini muffin tin or regular size cheesecake pan i do not have mini pan.Thank you
- Rachel — November 20, 2018 @ 8:37 pm
  You certainly can. Just be aware that the size will be a bit different than pictured so you’ll have to adjust the amount of batter to each cavity and possibly the bake time. It can work though. Good luck!
Debbie — December 12, 2018 @ 12:24 pm Reply
I made this recipe and everyone raved about them. The cheesecake dipped in the center when I removed them from the oven. I was able to cover the depression with the whipped cream and strawberry. What did you use to grease the mini cheesecake pan? Can you please tell me how to prevent the center from caving in? Thank you!
- Rachel — December 13, 2018 @ 6:20 am
  I’m glad everyone enjoyed them! As far as the centers go, use a baking spray that includes flour. Cheesecakes can be very finicky though and will sometimes sink in the center a bit even if properly greased. This can happen for a variety of reasons, sometimes out of your control. Topping off with whipped cream or another item will always be a great way of saving the dessert. :)
Hohohelp — December 20, 2018 @ 1:23 pm Reply
I’m thinking of using your idea of the Santa hat mini cheese cakes but cheating because of lack of time, and pan. How wide are your minis if I may ask? Thought I could cut minis out of a premade cheese cake then finish off with your whipped cream and the berries. (I would never make it on a cooking show😂!)
- Rachel — December 21, 2018 @ 6:27 am
  You would need to make sure that it isn’t a super thick cheesecake. I would slice them to be slightly larger than your strawberries.
Carissa — December 9, 2019 @ 8:24 am Reply
how long will the cheesecakes last after making them?
- Rachel — December 10, 2019 @ 5:46 am
  Easily several days to a week, at least.
MJ — December 8, 2020 @ 9:41 am Reply
Can you skip the eggnog?
- Rachel — December 10, 2020 @ 6:27 am
  You would need to replace the eggnog with another item, such as heavy cream.
Susan — December 9, 2021 @ 8:53 am Reply
Could I substitute the cookies with something like nilla wafers or something not chocolate?
- Rachel — December 9, 2021 @ 8:27 pm
  Absolutely!
sheryl lord — November 23, 2022 @ 5:51 pm Reply
these look SOOO adorable! could i skip some work by just using 1/2 of a whole cookie for the base, and ready whip , instead of the heavy cream and powdered sugar, for a diabetic version? would you happen to know what the nutritional values would be?
thanks.
- Rachel — November 26, 2022 @ 8:34 am
  A whole cookie is larger than the pan cavity size used in this recipe. If you were to do that, you’d need to use cupcake liners and a regular cupcake pan. Keep in mind that the bake time may change and the width and height of the cheesecakes would be different than they are here as well.