peach bourbon mini crumble cheesecakes;
In addition to making two types of cheesecake, this weekend was extra big! Honestly, it barely deserves the term ‘big’ in pre-COVID life, but here we are, and it was a pretty big weekend. One of my friends is getting married in October and I’m so excited to be part of her wedding party!
DC is centrally located for all the bridesmaids, so we were originally planning a get together there. Plus we use any excuse to visit each other, and this is a good one. But obviously COVID had different plans for us, and we couldn’t do a whole shindig. Since my best friend and I (both bridesmaids) are local, we went ourselves and try the dresses on in person.
By ‘local’, I mean the store was still 45 minutes from each of us, so we did some coordinating to take only one car. It was fun, but draining and stressful, since there’s just so much more to plan and worry about for outings now. We limited contact with the attendant by helping each other.
The dressing rooms I’m guessing are made for large groups and were actually pretty spacious. And then we grabbed dinner on the way back to swapping cars–which was actually my first “dining out” experience. We ordered fast food, and sat outside, wearing our masks for the majority of the time, but it was definitely a weird experience for me.
It’s so awkward trying to figure out when to take off your mask to eat. I feel self-conscious if I leave it on, or if I take it off. But I tried to keep it on as long as possible, just to maximize prevention. Plus, I never realized how much I lip read until this trip. Especially in a loud, crowded mall, it was hard to hear the vendors because their faces were covered with masks. But I’m grateful they were wearing masks. But it definitely makes it harder to hear, and understand. Even though it was only a few hours, it really drained me and left me tired when I came back.
It was really nice to see my best friend. The only other time I saw her in person was for a socially distant backyard gathering to send off a friend moving to Chicago. But it was doubly productive because my best friend’s birthday was in July and I owed her all the gifts and an in-person happy birthday! Funny story though, I was halfway through making this cheesecake and had a panic moment. See, my best friend is allergic to a lot of fruits and I couldn’t remember if peach was one of them. I texted a few friends, but no one could remember, so I made a mini white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to be safe.
Turns out I was right to question it–she is allergic to peach, and what’s more, doesn’t even like the flavor! So my instincts were right. I’m not planning to share the raspberry cheesecake recipe, though. I was pretty tuckered from baking these guys and some cranberry orange scones so I just threw it together really. But lucky for my husband, Tyler loves fresh peaches and I think we’ll manage somehow. Plus they’re mini cheesecakes, which I enjoy making for 1-2 people because cheesecake is so rich. But these cheesecakes turned out with such a bright pop of peachy flavor, and a subtle hint of bourbon. The husband pronounced them yummy!
Secrets to Success:
- This recipe makes two MINI CHEESECAKES. The ones that I use are each 4½ inches diameter and 1¾ inches deep. If this specific size pan isn’t available, I would swap four small ramekins instead.
- If you want to make a full-sized cheesecake, I would suggest tripling the ingredients to start. I have only made mini cheesecakes, so I cannot vouch for the exact science of a full cheesecake recipe. You may end up over or under the amount of filling you need for a full cheesecake if you choose to try it. You can also check out the recipe for a 9″ cheesecake, that I adapted my version from over at Life, Love, and Sugar.
- Make sure your peaches are ripe! If you want that pop of bright flavor, make sure you pick juicy and ripe peaches.
Looking for other cheesecake-inspired recipes? Here are a few ideas!
- Love cheesecake? Check out these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars for a fun fall-flavored twist.
- If you want something a little lighter, in cake form, try this Cream Cheese Apple Cake recipe.
- And for my chocolate lovers out there, this S’mores Cheesecake is to die for!
mini peach bourbon cheesecakes;
Equipment
- Two miniature springform pans (each one measuring 4½ inches diameter, 1¾ inches deep). ***If you're looking to make a full-sized cheesecake, check out the Notes at the bottom!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 9 sheets graham crackers (1 sleeve)
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
Brown Sugar Crumble
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
Bourbon Peach Cheesecake
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅛ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp bourbon
- 1 ripe peach, cut into cubes
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a food processor, add 9 sheets (1 sleeve) graham crackers and process until turned into fine crumbs. Alternatively, add to a plastic bag and crush manually. Add to a small bowl.
- Melt 6 Tbsp butter and add to the graham cracker crumbs. Mix together thoroughly then divide the mixture between two miniature springform pans (each one measuring 4½ inches diameter, 1¾ inches deep). I also lay a sheet of parchment paper across the bottom and up the sides to help remove the cheesecake after cooked. Press crumbs tightly into the bottom of each pan.
Brown Sugar Crumble
- In a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup flour, ¼ tsp salt. Add 1 Tbsp melted butter and mix until small crumbles form. Set aside.
Bourbon Peach Cheesecake
- Skin and chop peach into cubes, discarding the skin.
- In a medium bowl, add 8 oz room temperature cream cheese, ¼ cup brown sugar, ⅛ cup greek yogurt, ¼ tsp cinnamon and mix together until creamy and smooth.
- Add 1 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp bourbon, and 1 egg to the mixture and mix until well incorporated.
- Layer ¼ of the cheesecake mixture into each of the two mini springform pans. Smooth out to an even layer. Then sprinkle chopped peaches, and ¼ of the crumble mixture evenly over each of the pans. Reserve remaining crumble for topping the cheesecakes later, as well as any leftover peach cubes.
- Divide the remaining cheesecake mixture across the two pans, smoothing out the mixture on top. I also recommend banging each pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, then remove the pans and turn oven temperature down to 300°F. Divide the remaining crumble mixture and top each cheesecake with the mixture at the 15 minute mark.
- Bake cheesecakes another 10 minutes or until center is only slightly jiggly (it will firm up while cooling). Top with any remaining peaches
