If you’re a cheesecake fan looking for something fun and bite-sized, these Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bites are calling your name! Creamy cheesecake with a sweet raspberry swirl sits on a buttery dark chocolate cookie crust for a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Perfect for parties, spring holidays, or just an easy make-ahead treat, these mini cheesecakes are always a crowd favorite.
The fruit section of the grocery store is my favorite place to explore. The raspberries looked great, and so did the lemons, great way to start this recipe.
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Ingredients for Jam, Crust, and Cheesecake
I separated the ingredient images by jam, crust, and cheesecake. So, if you want a graham cracker crust or decide you want to use raspberry preserves instead of making your own jam, it will be easier to see what you need at the store.
Raspberry Jam for Swirl
- Fresh raspberries
- Sugar
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Corn starch
Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Oreo Crust
- Dark chocolate Oreo cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar white
Ingredients for Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar white
- Condensed milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Raspberries garnish
Develop Raspberry Jam For Swirl
I make the jam the day before so it can refrigerate overnight. This seems to bring out even more flavor in the sealed glass jar.
Bring out a 2-quart saucepan for making the jam. Clean and wash your raspberries and let them drain in a colander. To start, juice and zest a lemon and set it aside.
Add the clean raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest to the saucepan. Turn the heat to a medium-high to bring everything to a boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then turn the heat to a medium.
I use a wooden spoon to stir and the back of the spoon to smash the raspberries against the sides of the saucepan. You want a low boil to reduce the liquid. This can take about 10 minutes.
In a small cup add the cornstarch and lemon juice and stir until all the lumps are out, then add it to the saucepan.
Stir for about 5 to 7 minutes until the jam starts to thicken. Then, take it off the heat and let it sit in the pan for about 10 minutes.
I use a canning jar since it has a lid that seals. Pour the jam into the jar and let it continue to cool for about 30 minutes. Then add the lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight.
How To Create a Dark Chocolate Oreo Crust
I use an 8 X 8 baking pan (I use a USA Pan) that I line with tin foil. You want the tinfoil to extend out the two opposite sides. This extended tinfoil will act as handles to lift the whole cheesecake out of the pan the next day. Be gentle when lining with the tinfoil; you don't want the tinfoil to tear.
Next, melt the butter and let it cool in a dish while you crumble the Oreos.
Add the whole dark chocolate Oreo cookies to a food processor (mine is a Breville). I have found this to be the fastest and easiest way to crumble the cookies.
Pour the crumbled Oreos into a dish, add the sugar, cooled melted butter, and mix. You want the butter mixed throughout the Oreo crumbs; after mixing, pour onto the tinfoil-lined baking pan.
Evenly spread the Oreos around the bottom of the pan filling in any gaps. I use a metal flat-bottom measuring cup to smooth the crust out.
Once the crust is evenly pressed down, set aside so you can make the cheesecake filling.
Mixing the Cheesecake
Heat your oven to 325°F (165°C or 170°C) so it is ready. I like to get things ready, so I can just scrape the bowl and mix in the next ingredient. So, my process is to juice and zest a lemon and set it aside. Open the can of condensed milk and pour into half a cup and set it aside.
Grab the eggs out of the refrigerator and the vanilla extract from the cabinet and you are ready to go.
In a mixer bowl add the cream cheese and sugar. Start out on a low speed then increase the speed until it is on medium and then mix for about 2 minutes. You want soft peaks.
Scrape down the sides and add one egg. Mix through before adding the second egg. Now, add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract and the condensed milk and mix. It will be on the thin side but will thicken as it bakes.
Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the Oreo crust and give it a jiggle. This will bring the air bubbles to the top.
You can grab the raspberry jam out of the refrigerator and with an ice tea spoon drop spoonful of the jam around the top of the cheesecake. I use about half the jar of the jam. It will sink a little but that is OK.
Take a butter knife and start weaving around between the gobs of jam. Most will sink but you can still see the swirls.
Now repeat the spoonful of jam with the remaining jam hitting other spots you didn't put the jam in the first round. Again use the knife to make the swirls.
Bake at 325°F(165°C or 170°C) for 40 to 45 minutes. I start to check at 40 minutes. While the pan is still in the oven, give it a gentle jiggle. The cheesecake should have a little wiggle but not too much. If it seems too soft, bake for another couple of minutes.
Pull the cheesecake out of the oven and set it on a cooling rack or trivets so the bottom can cool, also. Let it sit for 30 minutes. DO NOT TAKE THE CHEESECAKE OUT OF THE PAN.
Cover and refrigerate overnight; I change the plastic wrap after about 4 hours. It gathers condensation on the underneath part of the plastic wrap and drops water onto the top of the cheesecake.
FAQ's
You can, but it changes the texture and taste of the finished jam. So, I advise against it, but if that is all you have, give it a try.
I like to have my cheesecake eaten in 3-5 days. This is about the same amount of time for my graham cracker crust, so I think they are about equal.
Put the cheesecake in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
Love Cheesecakes Bites
Recipe
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bites
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
RASPBERRY JAM FOR SWIRL
- 12 ounces Fresh raspberries
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Corn starch
OREO CRUST
- 18 Cookies Dark chocolate Oreo cookies
- ⅓ cup Unsalted butter Melted
- 1 teaspoon Sugar white
RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 16 oz. Cream Cheese
- ¼ cup Sugar white
- ½ cup Condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 6 ounces Raspberries garnish
Instructions
RASPBERRY JAM FOR SWIRL
- Wash and drain the raspberries and set them aside. Zest and juice a lemon into different bowls and set them aside.
- Grab a 2qt saucepan and add the raspberries, lemon zest, and sugar. Turn the burner on to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and then turn the heat to medium. You want a low boil while you break up the raspberries using the back of a wooden spoon. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Mix the lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and add it to the pan. Continue on a medium heat for another 5-7 minutes. It will not be as thick as preserves, but that is OK; you need it a little thinner so you can do the swirls. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour the jam into a glass container and let it sit for 30 minutes before placing a lid that seals onto the jar. Refrigerate overnight for best results.
OREO CRUST
- Line an 8X8 baking dish with tin foil. Make sure that the tinfoil hangs over 2 opposite sides so you will have handles to pull the cheesecake out of the pan when it is ready.
- Heat the butter so that it is melted. Set it aside so it can cool down. Add 18 icing and all dark chocolate Oreo cookies to a food processor and pulse until it is crumbs. Add the Oreo crumbs to a bowl, sprinkle the sugar on top, and then add the melted butter. Mix until the butter has saturated the Oreos.
- Pour the Oreos onto the tin foil and evenly press down to cover the whole bottom of the baking dish. I have a metal measuring cup with a flat bottom and use this to press the Oreos together and form the crust. Set the baking dish aside.
RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Preheat oven to 325°F(165°C or 170°C) Zest and juice the lemon and set both dishes aside. Mix the cream cheese and sugar until the sugar is incorporated (about 2 minutes on medium speed) in a stand or hand-held mixer. Add one egg at a time. Then add the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract blending thoroughly. The mixture will be on the thin side but will thicken while baking. Pour the mixture over the crust and shake it a little to let any air bubbles come to the top.
- Take the jam out of the refrigerator and lightly add drops of the jam all around the top of the cheesecake using an iced tea spoon. Use about half the jar. Now take a butter knife and run it gently through the drops of jam. Don't lift the knife out; you might want to think of it as skating around the top of the cheesecake. The jam drops some, so now you want to do the same thing again with the rest of the jar of jam.
- Bake at 325°F(165°C or 170°C) for 40 minutes. To test for doneness, jiggle the pan gently. It should only jiggle a little. Pull the pan out of the oven and sit it on a cooling rack. Let it cool for about half an hour, then cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.
- Grab the tinfoil edges to lift the whole thing out of the pan. The tinfoil comes off easily. I lift one side up a little and pull the tinfoil away from the bottom crust. Cut the cheesecake bites into whatever size squares you like. I did 16 squares. Serve with whip cream and raspberries on the side.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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