Description
These Peaches and Hay Mini Cheesecakes with Honey are a delightful summer dessert featuring a graham cracker crust, creamy honey-sweetened cheesecake filling studded with juicy peaches and a rustic ‘hay’ texture from crushed rolled oats or shredded wheat. Baked to perfection and topped with fresh peach slices and a honey drizzle, they offer a perfect balance of creamy, fruity, and slightly crunchy elements in individual servings that are ideal for easy entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup honey, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup diced ripe peaches
- 1/4 cup rolled oats or shredded wheat cereal, lightly crushed (for ‘hay’ texture)
- Fresh peach slices for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter until evenly mixed. Press about one tablespoon of this mixture firmly into the bottom of each muffin liner to form the crust base.
- Bake the crust: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake the crusts for 5 minutes to set them. After baking, remove from the oven and allow them to cool while preparing the filling.
- Prepare the filling: In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream, honey, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Continue beating until all ingredients are well combined. Then, mix in the egg gently just until incorporated to avoid overbeating.
- Add peaches and ‘hay’: Fold the diced ripe peaches and the lightly crushed rolled oats or shredded wheat cereal into the cheesecake batter carefully, ensuring an even distribution without deflating the mixture.
- Fill the crusts: Spoon the prepared cheesecake filling evenly over the cooled crusts in the muffin liners, filling each almost to the top.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the centers of the cheesecakes are just set and slightly jiggly. Avoid overbaking as this can dry out the texture.
- Cool and chill: Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Then, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow them to set fully and develop flavor.
- Serve: Before serving, top each mini cheesecake with fresh peach slices and drizzle with additional honey for a glossy, sweet finish.
Notes
- For a rustic and interesting texture, use crushed shredded wheat cereal as the ‘hay’ element instead of rolled oats.
- You can substitute peaches with nectarines or apricots depending on the season or your preference.
- These mini cheesecakes can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated, making them a convenient and impressive dessert for entertaining.
