Cute as a button Malt Ball Cheesecakes are the perfect single-serving Easter dessert! The pastel eggs and rich chocolate ganache make these mini cheesecakes irresistible. We’ll walk you how to make delicious mini cheesecakes step by step.
Love cheesecake? Try our Chocolate Cheesecake recipe is decadent, delicious, and loved by everyone. Or lighten things up and try our easy Lemon Cheesecake recipe!
Mini Easter Cheesecake Recipe
These little cheesecakes are downright adorable–and they taste even better.
Here are a few more reasons why you’ll love this malt ball cheesecakes recipe.
- Homemade crust. This chocolate graham cracker pie crust is easy to make and beats store bought crust by a mile. You can also swap it out for an oreo pie crust.
- Malted milk flavor. With real malt powder in the crust AND the filling, these mini cheesecakes have a hint of toasty, nuttiness just like a chocolate malt ball.
- Easy ganache recipe. You only need TWO ingredients to make a delicious chocolate ganache topping for your malt ball mini cheesecakes.
Not Easter time? No worries, use whopper’s instead for a decadent chocolate treat.
Ingredient Notes
- Malted milk powder. Use original flavor malted milk powder for best results. Find it in the baking aisle of your supermarket or online.
- Malted milk balls. We used Robin’s eggs chocolate malt balls to make these Easter ready. Sub other colors or shapes of Whopper’s malt balls for any occasion!
- Cream Cheese. Be sure to choose full fat (not light) and make sure it’s been softened to room temperature (for extra creaminess)!
- Vanilla Extract. Learn how to make vanilla extract at home for a cheaper alternative!
- Chocolate Graham Crackers. If you can’t find them, you can use Oreo cookies or even regular graham crackers!
- Milk Chocolate Morsels & Heavy Cream. The dynamic duo to creating the creamiest ganache!
Cheesecake Tips and Tricks
- Prep it Right: Set out ingredients about 10 minutes before baking to work with them at room temperature. Allow your oven to preheat while preparing your filling.
- Be Gentle: Do not over-beat. Over-stirring can add too much air into the batter, which can cause cheesecake to crack. Beat in eggs, one at time, on low speed until just blended.
- Practice Patience: Don’t peek! Opening the oven door while cheesecake is baking causes drafts that may lead to cracking.
- Malt Balls: When smashing them, be sure to not pulverize into crumbs. Big chunks are delicious!
How to Make Ganache
This is the hands down the easiest Chocolate Ganache recipe you’ll ever make!
STEP 1. Heat heavy cream in the microwave.
STEP 2. Stir in milk chocolate morsels until melted.
Spoon the warm ganache onto cooled mini cheesecakes. Top with malt balls and chill.
Don’t want to use malt balls? No worries! Add peanut butter cups, M&M’s, or chocolate chips!
Have leftover ganache after topping the cheesecakes? Go ahead and eat it with a spoon. We won’t tell. It’s too delicious to let it go to waste!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can omit the malt powder in the recipe. If you do, they definitely won’t be as malty since the only malt flavor comes from the topping. The cheesecakes will still be tasty though!
Before serving, these mini cheesecakes need at least 2 hours in the refrigerator to chill. You can store them covered in the fridge for 3 -5 days without the topping.
Go for it, just know that many malt balls do not contain a candy coating (like original whoppers). The candy coating adds lots of bright color which makes the cheesecakes so pretty.
Yes, you can freeze these cheesecakes. I recommend freezing them before adding the ganache or malt ball topping. Store double wrapped in foil and freezer bags. Thaw and enjoy within 6 weeks.
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Mini Malt Ball Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 9 chocolate graham crackers whole
- 1 Tablespoon malted milk powder original flavor
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake:
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened 8oz each
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons malted milk powder original flavor
For the Ganache:
- 2 cups milk chocolate morsels
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups malted milk balls chopped
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until fine crumbs. Pulse in the malted milk powder and sugar. Using a fork, mix in the melted butter. Spoon about one tablespoon of crust into the bottom of 20-24 paper lined muffin cups. Press into bottom of paper liner using a tart shaper or bottom of cup. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on high for about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Beat in malted milk powder. Spoon filling into muffin cups until 2/3 full. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-22 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.
- When cooled, begin ganache. In a glass bowl, add heavy cream and microwave for 30 seconds, until warm. Add milk chocolate and heat an additional 60 seconds, stirring until smooth.
- Spoon about 1-2Tbsp onto each cooled cheesecake. Top with chopped malted milk balls. Refrigerate 2 hours or more, covered. ENJOY.
Notes
- Prep it Right: Set out ingredients about 10 minutes before baking to work with them at room temperature. Allow your oven to preheat while preparing your filling.
- Be Gentle: Do not over-beat. Over-stirring can add too much air into the batter, which can cause cheesecake to crack. Beat in eggs, one at time, on low speed until just blended.
- Practice Patience: Don’t peek! Opening the oven door while cheesecake is baking causes drafts that may lead to cracking.
- Malt Balls: When smashing them, be sure to not pulverize into crumbs. Big chunks are delicious!
- Storage: Keep cheesecakes in refrigerator until ready to serve. If freezing, do not add the candy. Malt balls do not freeze well.
Nutrition
For an Easter gathering, a baby shower or any springtime occasion, Mini Malt Ball Cheesecakes are a hit! Baked in individual cupcake wrappers, they’re easy to serve and even easier to love.
Oh man…the ganache on them looks amazing!
~Liz@HoosierHomemade
Gosh these look yummy. I just recently re-discovered easter malt eggs. I used to hate them because I ate them once thinking they were mini-eggs and got un-pleasently surprised. But man, they’re addictive!
I love the idea of malt balls with cheesecake!! I need to give these a try! My girls are always begging for cheesecake!
Thanks Cheryl! And mini cheesecakes are easier than a whole cheesecake. of course the ganache is the cure to any cheesecake cracks too 🙂
Your Ganaches look amazing.
These mini cheesecakes are so pretty! They almost look like little colored eggs! Bravo!
Thank you Julia!!
Oh God how cute! I was looking fos such cheesecake bites for ages!
These are so fun!! Yum!
I love Philly Cream Cheese! There isn’t any other cheese in my book!
I love these mini cheesecakes with the Easter flair. SO CUTE!!
I have had my share of cheesecake ever since I worked in a gourmet cheesecake shop for a year and half. All day, everyday was cheesecake. But malt balls are my favorite candy so I think these recipe is in order to get over my cheesecake hating ways.
These mini cheese cakes are soo cute! Interesting to hear about Philadelphia’s no preservatives as well.
After spotting these babies on Instagram, I’ve been thinking about them ever since! No Easter is complete without malted milk eggs. Love them dearly! And these adorable cheesecakes.. too cute!
Oh my gosh! Everything about this recipe spells “cuteness”! And I agree — I’ve not baked enough cheesecakes. Time to change that!
I too love to bake , I make mini cheesecakes all the time… I love using the 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie dough as crust then cheesecake then chocolate with broken mini peanut butter cups OMG is it good and in a pinch I use store bought cookies for crust and top with assorted candies …. oatmeal cookie dough crust and a dollop of strawberry is yummy too… made a layered cheesecake today brownie, cheesecake , brownie and cheesecake with chocolate gnauch covering it… cannot wait to try it … I use nothing but the best philly cream cheese last time it was onsale I bought 3 cases … I am down to half of a case left ….its only been a little over a month since I bought it ..
Gorgeous, as always! Love that you incorporated candy!
Oh, I thought you were saying I am gorgeous 🙂 yes, candy is a must in cheesecake!!
Holy Heck Aimee! These are (1) gorgeous (2) genius and (3) my new favorite cheesecake!
(4) you’re so sweet
Thanks Dorothy!
I have been using blogilovin as well and I like it! These cheesecakes are spectacular- I love me some cheesecake! I wish this was my job and I could bake. eat. repeat! Mine is more like work.bake.work.sleep.repeat!
Boo to working!! haha.
Well ok then! This is the dessert I’m making for Easter! If I don’t use my Robin’s Eggs in a recipe I will eat the entire bag and that would be bad! The ganache is killer! Great photo!
I love robins eggs too Tanya!! Thanks for the fun day 🙂
Love the fact that you used chocolate as the base for this one. Everything is so much better with chocolate. Then add the malt and you are good to go!
That’s MY motto Nancy, everything is better with chocolate 🙂
Between you and Katrina, now I need to get a bag of candy eggs! Such a fun idea.
How cute are these!! A chocolate crust sounds like a nice change too – and all those colors on top would make this the center of my easter dessert table (if i had an easter dessert table heehee). 😀