Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Frozen Cheesecake Bites Be the first to rate & review! Summertime treats never looked so good. By Micah A Leal Micah A Leal Micah Leal is a chef and recipe developer with more than 5 years of professional experience in restaurants and bakeries such as Husk Restaurant and Harken Cafe & Bakery in Charleston, South Carolina. Micah Leal is an enthusiastic chef with a special interest in the food science and culinary histories that shape the recipes people make today. His reputation for making recipes accessible and thoughtfully teaching difficult kitchen techniques is informed by his experience as a pastry chef as well as his background as a high school teacher. He has also developed nearly 200 recipes for southernliving.com and Southern Living Magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 2, 2021 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Micah A. Leal Active Time: 25 mins Bake Time: 10 mins Freeze Time: 4 hrs Total Time: 4 hrs 35 mins Yield: 12 Tangy, creamy, and refreshing, these Frozen Cheesecake Bites are the kind of dessert that you keep in the freezer for a quick and decadent treat or for an easy confection to pull out for guests. By assembling the miniature cheesecakes in a muffin tin lined with paper liners, these desserts are virtually no-mess and can be easily grabbed and enjoyed. The crumbly graham cracker base is slightly salty, creating a mouthwatering contrast to the tangy sweet cheesecake layer. Different from a traditional cheesecake, which uses eggs and flour, this filling is much simpler. No eggs are used in this recipe which means the filling does not need to be baked in order to be food safe. Additionally, the classic blend of cream cheese and sour cream makes the filling tangy and rich. Lemon juice is incorporated into the cheesecake mixture to brighten the flavor of the cream cheese, and vanilla is also mixed in to lend the classic flavor. After the filling has come together, it's soft and easy to scoop into the muffin cup liners already cradling the graham cracker crusts on the bottom. The semi-liquid filling is then topped with fresh berries that are partially submerged in the filling so they are held in place when the filling solidifies. After a few hours in the freezer, the filling becomes firm and is ready to enjoy. Once solid, these Frozen Cheesecake Bites can be enjoyed right out of the freezer or after they've had the chance to soften a bit. The crunchy and salty graham cracker layer makes an ideal companion to the classic vanilla cheesecake layer topped with the brightness of fresh berries. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients Crust 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 6 tablespoons butter, melted Pinch cinnamon Filling 10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature ⅔ cup sour cream 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract/bean paste 2 teaspoons lemon juice ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt ⅔ cup powdered sugar Blackberries, raspberries, and/or blueberries to top Directions Preheat oven to 350°F and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine all Crust ingredients with a spoon until evenly moistened. Scoop two tablespoons Crust mixture into each paper liner in muffin tin and use a spoon to pack down. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. While Crusts cool, beat together cream cheese and sour cream with a mixer until completely homogenous, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and powdered sugar. Beat on low until incorporated, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 more minutes. Scoop a heaping two tablespoons of Filling on top of each Crust and spread evenly with a spoon. Halve the raspberries and blackberries and press several pieces of the berries onto the surface of the Filling. Repeat with remaining cups. Place muffin pan in freezer for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer and serve immediately or wait for 30 minutes for a softer version of the Frozen Cheesecake Bites. Save Rate Print