Gingerbread Eggnog Cheesecake Cups

I make cookies in mini muffin cups all the time. They are usually easy to put together and always look fantastic. The cookies made in mini muffin pans and petite and just a couple of bites. This recipe, on the other hand, is made in a regular muffin cup. That makes for a sizeable cookie! The flavors of gingerbread and eggnog cheesecake is such a winning combination that I couldn’t resist. I did decide to make a half batch, as our house is already full of holiday goodies.

By cutting this recipe half, I made nine big cookies. I’m not sure how the full recipe made two dozen, but they must have used less dough for each cookie. I did measure, using my three-tablespoon cookie scoop, so I’m not sure what happened. A half recipe of the cheesecake filling was also the correct amount for nine or ten cookies, so at least it was consistent? I don’t have a lot of faith in recipe yields, which is why I don’t often provide many specifics about how many cookies a recipe will make.

My husband came into the kitchen when I was making the filling, and I’m certainly an independent baker! He was after the eggnog, which was just silly as this recipe called for such a small amount that it makes little difference in the half-gallon container we bought. Chilling these when they were ready were the biggest challenges of these cookies, but they were worth the wait! These are so good, the great ginger flavor balances with the creamy cheesecake filling. These are the best!

Gingerbread Eggnog Cheesecake Cups
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

1 cup heavy cream, cold
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup eggnog
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two regular-sized muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium until pale. Add the egg and beat on medium to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture.

Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough into each of the muffin cups, flattening slightly.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, until set, but still soft. Remove from the oven and immediately press the cups down to create a well. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, twisting the cups to ensure that they don’t stick to the pan. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the cups are cooled, make the filling: in a cold mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl. In the same mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggnog, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and pipe into the cookie cups.

Refrigerate for at least two hours to set. Serve cold.

Recipe from Liv for Cake