Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 24 vanilla wafer cookies
• 8 oz (226 g) full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (75 g) thick dulce de leche, plus more for topping
• 2 tbsp (30 g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk, for the topping
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

How to make dulce de leche cheesecake bites

1. Step 1.

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two 12-cup mini muffin tins with paper liners, or one tin used twice. Place one vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each liner.

2. Step 2.

   Warm the 1/4 cup dulce de leche in the microwave for 10 seconds, just until loosened, then stir until smooth.

3. Step 3.

   Beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl, until completely smooth.

4. Step 4.

   Beat in the dulce de leche, sour cream, vanilla and salt on low speed. Add the egg and mix just until combined. Do not overbeat.

5. Step 5.

   Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling over each wafer, filling the liners to just below the top.

6. Step 6.

   Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers jiggle slightly when the pan is tapped. They will firm up as they cool.

7. Step 7.

   Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until fully chilled.

8. Step 8.

   Warm 1/3 cup dulce de leche with the heavy cream for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave and stir until pourable. Drizzle over the chilled cheesecakes, sprinkle each with a few flakes of sea salt and serve.

What dulce de leche brings to cheesecake

Dulce de leche is milk cooked slowly with sugar until it browns and thickens. The result tastes of caramel, but with a distinctly milky, slightly toasty note that comes from the milk proteins browning as well as the sugar. That gives it a different flavor from regular caramel, and it blends with cream cheese more smoothly. Cream cheese’s tang cuts through the sweetness, so stirring it into the filling gives a flavor that is rich without being cloying.

Brands vary in thickness. A good one holds a spoon upright. If yours is thinner, use a little less in the filling and keep the rest for drizzling.

The wafer is the crust

A whole vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner stands in for a crumb crust. It saves time, keeps the portions the same size and softens just enough as the cheesecake bakes to cut with a fork. Choose standard round vanilla wafers; they are the right diameter for a mini muffin cup. Pressing each one down gently ensures they stay flat as the filling goes in.

Smooth batter, no cracks

Mini cheesecakes crack for the same reasons large ones do: overbeaten batter, too much heat and cooling too fast. Beat the cream cheese until it is completely smooth before adding anything else, and once the egg goes in, mix only until it disappears. Every bit of air beaten into the batter rises as the cheesecake bakes and then collapses, which leaves a crack. A moderate 325°F oven and a slow cool in the pan help as well.

Knowing when they are done

Look at the edges and centers. The edges will be set and matte, and the very middle of each bite will still wobble slightly, like set gelatin, when you give the pan a light tap. Bites bake quickly, and overbaking turns the texture dry and slightly grainy. Because dulce de leche contains a lot of sugar, the tops can brown fast; if they begin to darken before the centers are set, lower the oven temperature by 10 to 15 degrees.

Serving, storing and freezing

Chill the bites for at least 2 hours so the filling firms up, and add the drizzle shortly before serving so it stays glossy. Keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They also freeze well without the drizzle: freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a container for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator for several hours.

Variations

Chocolate wafers: use chocolate wafer cookies for the base in place of vanilla wafers for a mocha-like result.

Crunch: top each bite with a pinch of finely chopped toasted pecans or crushed salted peanuts along with the drizzle.