These Mini Baklava Cheesecakes are so cute and incredibly delicious that they actually made me mad! I’d been thinking about making them for awhile, so I was mad at myself for not making them sooner. They’re much quicker and easier to make than a full size cheesecake. The phyllo dough is par-baked, then topped with a nut mixture. I used a combination of pistachios and almonds, but you can use any combination of pistachios, almonds or walnuts of your choice. After the cheesecakes are baked, the phyllo shells are soaked with honey syrup.
I topped them with little nests made of kataifi, which are so cute and perfect for Easter. Kataifi is thinly shredded phyllo pastry. You can find it in the freezer section of supermarkets and international markets. Toasted coconut makes a good substitute if you can’t find kataifi. These cute cheesecakes are also pretty topped with edible flowers or rose petals, which would be perfect for Mother’s Day or any springtime celebration.
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mini cheesecakes
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Ingredients
Honey Syrup
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (177ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (63g) honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Mini Cheesecakes
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, melted and divided
- 10 9 x 14-inch phyllo dough sheets, thawed
- 1/2 cup (57g) finely chopped toasted pistachios, almonds or walnuts or a combination of nuts of your choice (I used pistachios and almonds.)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces (227g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Kataifi Nests
- 1 16 ounce (454g) package kataifi phyllo pastry, thawed You'll need about 1/4 of the package.
- 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
- 18-24 candy eggs I used Cadbury Mini Eggs.
Ingredients
Honey Syrup
Mini Cheesecakes
Kataifi Nests
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Instructions
Honey Syrup
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, water, honey and lemon juice, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Mini Cheesecakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush the insides of a 12-serving muffin pan with melted butter.
- Place a sheet of phyllo dough on your work surface. Brush it lightly with melted butter. Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first one and brush it lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until you have 5 sheets. Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut the phyllo into 6 squares, measuring about 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches each. Repeat this process with the five remaining phyllo sheets. Make sure to keep your unused phyllo sheets covered while you work to prevent them from drying out.
- Place the phyllo squares into the cups of the muffin pan. Press them in with a pastry tamper or with the flat bottom of a small shot glass. Prick the bottoms of the phyllo with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 14-17 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the nuts, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Turn the oven heat down to 325ºF (165ºF). Place about a tablespoon of the nut mixture into the baked pyllo shells and press lightly with the back of a spoon.
- To make the cheesecake filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar, the egg, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and well combined, but do not over beat.
- Ladle the cheesecake mixture into the phyllo shells over the nuts. Fill them almost to the top. Bake until the cheesecakes are set, but still slightly jiggly in the centers, about 13-15 minutes.
- Using a small offset spatula, gently loosen the cheesecakes from the muffin pan. Drizzle honey syrup generously along the perimeter of the outside of the cheesecakes, letting the syrup drip down the sides of the phyllo pastry. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan. When the cheesecakes have cooled and the syrup has absorbed, transfer the cheesecakes to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Kataifi Nests
- Turn the oven temperature up to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush an 8 x 8-inch or a 9 x 7-inch baking dish with melted butter. Roll clusters of kataifi stands into twelve 2-inch wide spiral shapes to form the nests. Place them in the baking dish. Drizzle the nests with melted butter. Gently brush more melted butter over the surface of the nests. Bake until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes. Immediately drizzle with honey syrup. Let the nests cool in the baking pan.
- Place the nests onto the cheesecakes. Fill the nests with candy eggs.
Recipe Notes
To find the muffin pan I used, click here.