Go Back
Print

Very Berry NY Cheesecake Shooters

An easy and delicious fruity cheesecake in a shot glass! Perfectly sized to satisfy a sweet tooth and makes a gorgeous display at any party or buffet table.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Dessert Shooters, Desserts for a Buffet Table, Desserts for a Crowd, Easy Dessert Recipe, NY Cheesecake, Shot Glass Desserts
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Refrigeration Time 30 minutes
Servings 25 shot glasses
Author The Tiny Fairy

Ingredients

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

  • 1 sleeve graham crackers
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated or light brown sugar
  • ½ cup whole pecans
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted prefer Plugra or Kerrygold brands

RASPBERRY GRAND MARNIER SAUCE

  • 1 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries
  • ¼-⅓ cup of granulated sugar add sugar to taste, raspberries can be tart
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ½ cup seedless red raspberry jam or preserves
  • 3 Tablespoons  Grand Marnier or orange liquor optional

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

  • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup sour cream prefer Daisy brand
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • teaspoons pure vanilla paste or extract, divided 1 tsp for cream cheese, ½ tsp for whipped cream
  • 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Optional: ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar used to stabilize the whipped cream

FRUIT TOPPING

  • about 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
  • about ½ fresh blueberries

Instructions

MAKING THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, place oven rack in the center and line a baking sheet or tray with foil for easy clean up.

  2. In a food processor, combine graham crackers, sugar, pecans and ground cinnamon and pulse a few times to break up the graham crackers and nuts.

  3. With the processor on, slowly drizzle the melted butter and pulse a few times until combined and you have an even crumb mixture.

  4. Transfer the crumb mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them evenly. Bake for 5-6 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

MAKING THE RASPBERRY SAUCE

  1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the frozen raspberries, granulated sugar and water. Break up the frozen chunks of fruit with a wooden and stir well to combine. Simmer about 5 minutes. As the fruit simmers, use a wooden spoon to press the berries against the side of the sauce pan.

  2. Add the seedless raspberry jam/preserves and stir until the jam has blended well with the fruit, an additional few minutes. Add the Grand Marnier and cook for a minute longer (if you wish to cook out the alcohol) or remove from the heat immediately.

  3. Pour sauce over a sieve into a heat proof container, such as a Pyrex bowl. Using a rubber spatula, press the fruit against the sieve to press the liquid and pulp through, leaving behind only the seeds. Rinse the spatula to remove any seeds and scrape the pulp collected at the bottom of the sieve. Add the pulp to the bowl and whisk to combine. Set side to cool.

MAKING THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

  1. In a mixing bowl, cream the block of cream cheese with the granulated sugar. Add sour cream, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy, while occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Set aside.

  2. In a cold mixing bowl, whip together the cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and the remaining ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whip until you have medium soft peaks.

    Optional: If making the shooters a day ahead, you may want to stabilize the whipped cream by adding 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, you can omit this ingredient and beat the whipping cream a little longer, but be careful not to over whip.

  3. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two batches as not to deflate the whipped cream. Transfer the contents into a large piping bag or plastic zip bag and refrigerate until ready to assemble, at least 30 minutes.

MACERATING THE FRUIT

  1. In a small bowl, combine the diced strawberries and blueberries and add enough raspberry sauce to coat. Toss well and set aside to macerate.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Add about a Tablespoon of the graham cracker toasted mixture to each shot glass. Use another shot glass to lightly tamp down.

  2. Snip the tip off the piping bag and insert the tip into the shot glass. Apply even pressure as you life the piping bag up, filling the shot glass only 3/4 of the way.

  3. Spoon macerated fruit and add extra raspberry sauce. You can garnish with a mint leaf or edible flowers, if you prefer.

Recipe Notes

QUICK TIME-SAVING HACK
Layer Graham Cracker Crumbs (no need to toast) at the bottom of the shot glass. Follow the recipe for the cream cheese filling, but fold in Cool Whip topping instead of making your own whipped cream. Top the dessert with your favorite fruit pie filling and you’re done!