Mini Churro Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche Swirls, Fresh Cinnamon Whipped Cream & Churro Hearts

If you've been following LiveBakeLove for a while, you know that last year we made desserts for a friend's wedding.

 

One of the desserts we made were these Churro Cupcakes. Since then, this recipe has been a big hit for us. If you haven't tried it yet, I strongly recommend that you do.

 

 

Well, as life would have it, this same friend is now pregnant with a baby girl and we had the honor of catering her Baby Shower! I wanted to pay tribute to this special occasion by making an updated version of the Churro Cupcakes we served at her wedding.  And really, what better update is there than cheesecake?

 

I took the same flavors of the Churro Cupcakes (cinnamon, dulce de leche and vanilla) and incorporated them into this delicious, creamy, cheesecake recipe. But wait, I didn't stop there! I used Biscoff Cookies for the crust. Yum! Who doesn't love Biscoff (aka Cookie Butter)?

 

 

And of course, no Baby Shower dessert is complete without a cute topper. These "Churro" Hearts were the perfect finishing touch.

 

Both recipes are winners & we hope you give them both a try!

Mini Churro Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche Swirls, Fresh Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Whipped Cream & Churro Hearts
Makes 28 cupcake size cheesecakes

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 packages Biscoff Cookies
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:
3  8 oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche (I use La Lechera brand found in the Mexican section of your grocery store)

Topping & Garnish:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or sub vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 whole wheat tortilla
extra granulated sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300f. Line cupcake pans with 28 cupcake liners.

Make the crust:

Place the Biscoff cookies in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until crumbs are formed. Place the Biscoff Cookie Crumbs in a medium size bowl. Add about half of the melted butter and mix with a fork until well combined. Gradually add and mix in more butter until the mixture holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand. You may not need to use all of the melted butter.

Evenly distribute the crumb mixture between the 28 prepared cupcake liners and press firmly to create a crust. Set aside.

Make the filling:

Place the cream cheese, sugar,  cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. With your hand mixer, beat the mixture at medium-low speed until creamy.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

Mix in the eggs one at a time at low speed mixing just until combined after each addition and scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

Add the sour cream and mix on low speed just until combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cupcake pans.

Place the Dulce de Leche in a small bowl and microwave for a few seconds and stir well to soften slightly. This makes it easier to swirl into the cheesecake batter.

Top with approx. 1/2 teaspoon of Dulce de Leche and swirl gently with a toothpick or skewer. Be careful not to go too deep so you don't disturb the crust. Also don't swirl too much or the caramel will dissolve into the cheesecake batter.

Bake (2 pans at a time) just until the cheesecakes are set and don't jiggle in the middle (approx. 20 minutes). The cheesecakes may puff up a little, but they shouldn't be puffy and cracked.

Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature then place in the fridge until chilled. Remove the cheesecakes from the pans and allow to chill in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 8 hours or overnight.

Decorate and garnish (after cheesecakes have chilled 8 hours or overnight)

Place the heavy whipping cream in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Tip: I chill my bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes before mixing.

Whip on medium speed until foamy then increase speed and gradually add the powdered sugar, the vanilla bean paste and the cinnamon. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overmix. Place in the fridge while you make the Churro Hearts...

Place 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

Using a small 1" heart shaped cookie cutter, cut 28 hearts from the wheat tortilla. Working in batches, fry the tortilla hearts until golden brown and crispy, then immediately toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Top with the cheesecakes with the whipped cream and garnish with a churro heart.

Enjoy!