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These Mini Rose Cheesecakes are so lovely for Valentine’s Day and are flavored with rose water! They make a romantic little treat that’s great for gifting!
Easy Mini Cheesecakes for Valentine’s Day
What do you think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? I tend to think of hearts, flowers, champagne, chocolate and alllll the pink and red. To me all of it is totally unnecessary, but it is pretty and often quite yummy. And as our boys get older, I’m sure there will be school events and such centered around it that might be fun.
Personally, if I’m going to get something for Valentine’s Day, I’m all about it being edible. And since they charge ridiculous amounts for flowers that will be half price the next day, save yourself the headache and give someone an edible bouquet of roses. Mini Rose Cheesecakes, to be exact. A total win in my book.
And being a fan of The Bachelor, it also occurred to me that these would make a fun dessert for a Bachelor watching party. I have very little time for tv watching these days, but The Bachelor/Bachelorette must always be watched. And roses are what it’s all about, so why not have some treats that are not only decorated with roses, but actually taste kind of like them?
What does a rose cheesecake taste like?
Personally, I think they taste like those little conversation heart candies. No joke. And I’m not the only person to have said that after trying a dessert made with rose water. It really does taste like it.
And as far as the floral taste goes, when you add some vanilla extract with it, it really cuts that floral flavor down. I won’t say that it’s not at all floral, but it’s a nice floral. And conversation hearts.
How to make Mini Rose Cheesecakes
These cheesecakes are based on my classic Mini Cheesecakes. They are made with a vanilla wafer cookie crust, rosewater filling and rosewater white chocolate ganache. To top them off, they have pretty red roses on top.
Making the crust is fairly straight forward. You’ll combine your cookie crumbs, a little sugar and melted butter and divide them between the cups of a cupcake pan. I use cupcake liners that have been sprayed with baking spray. Bake them for about 5 minutes.
To make the filling, you’ll combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour first. Be sure to use a low speed in your mixer so that you don’t incorporate too much air into the filling, which can cause cracks or leave you with a lumpy surface.
Add the sour cream, rosewater and vanilla extract next, followed by the eggs.
The final step for the filling is to add some pink gel icing color, if you like. I thought the pink color would be a nice touch, but I ended up liking the plain white ones more. I felt like the roses on top popped a little more. But both look nice and would be great.
Bake the mini cheesecakes, then top them with the white chocolate ganache. The ganache is quite simple to make. Just heat the cream and pour it over the white chocolate chips to melt them. Whisk it all together and then heat it in the microwave for another 8-10 seconds to get it fully melted, if needed. I tend to need the little extra melting time.
Spoon the ganache over the tops of the cheesecakes, add the roses and some sprinkles if you like, and let them cool completely. The roses stick to the ganache best if added before it cools and firms up, but do be aware that if the roses sit in the fridge for too long, the condensation could start to make them not look as nice. Basically, it’s ideal to serve them shortly after they’ve cooled completely. They should be fine if made the night before too.
I hope you enjoy these tasty little treats! The cheesecake is thick, creamy and delicious! They are simple, yet festive and have a romance to them that I love.
More Great Rose Recipes
Raspberry Rose Coffee Cake
Rose Water Vanilla Layer Cake
Rosette Sugar Cookies Recipe
Mini Rose Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Mini Rose Cheesecakes are so lovely for Valentine’s Day and are flavored with rose water! They make a romantic little treat that’s great for gifting!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (134g) vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
- 2 tbsp (26g) sugar
- 4 tbsp (56g) salted butter, melted
Filling
- 12 oz (339g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp (12g) flour
- 1/4 cup (58g) sour cream
- 1/2 tsp rosewater
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Pink gel icing color, optional
Topping
- 3 oz white chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/8 tsp rosewater
- Sprinkles, optional
- Rose toppers
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Add cupcake liners to a cupcake pan and spray them with non-stick spray.
2. Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well combined. Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners (about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cup) and press into the bottoms.
3. Bake the crusts for 5 minutes then remove from the oven. Allow to cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
4. To make the filling, reduce oven to 300°F (148°C). In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the sour cream, rosewater and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. Add the gel icing color, if using, and gently fold to combine.
8. Divide the cheesecake batter between the cups in the pan. The cups should be mostly full.
9. Bake the cheesecakes for 18-20 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes.
10. Crack the oven door and allow cheesecakes to cool for 15-20 minutes
11. While the cheesecakes finish cooling, make the white chocolate ganache. Add the white chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl. Heat the cream and rosewater just until it begins to bubble, then pour over the white chocolate.
12. Let the chocolate and cream sit for a minute or two, then whisk together. If it’s not completely melted, pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds, then whisk until melted and smooth.
13. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and divide the ganache between the mini cheesecakes, about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per cheesecake.
14. Top the cheesecakes with some sprinkles, if desired, and rose toppers. The rose toppers stick best if added before the ganache has cooled completely.
15. Put the mini cheesecakes in the fridge to finish cooling, then serve. Note that the rose toppers will be fine in the fridge for 24 hours or so, but eventually the condensation could cause the colors to run a bit.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cheesecake
- Calories: 364
- Sugar: 26.7 g
- Sodium: 227.8 mg
- Fat: 23.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.3 g
- Protein: 5.3 g
- Cholesterol: 77.4 mg
