Bacon Cheesecake Bites Recipes

MAPLE BACON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix graham cracker crumbs, pecans, bacon bits, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl; mixture will be pretty dry. Press enough mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to get a 1/4-inch-thick crust. Reserve extra crumbs for the sides and edges.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly while preparing the filling.
• Beat cream cheese, maple syrup, and sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add heavy cream, vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts; blend until smooth and creamy. Push mixture through a sieve to ensure a smooth filling.
• Wrap outside of the pan in a double layer of foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top. Set pan in a large roasting pan and pour in enough hot water to reach about halfway up the sides of the springform. Pour filling into the cooled crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are puffed and surface of cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
• Turn oven off and open door slightly. Let cheesecake cool until nearly room temperature, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely to room temperature, about 20 minutes more. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours but preferably 24 to 48 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 9x13-inch baking sheets with foil. Lay bacon in a single layer on the pans. Brush about 1/4 cup maple syrup over bacon.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bacon is halfway crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon onto a wire rack to drain the grease. Return bacon to the baking sheets and coat other side with remaining maple syrup. Continue baking until browned and crispy all over, about 10 minutes more.
• Cool bacon on a wire rack until safe to handle. Cut into small strips and scatter over the finished cheesecake.

CARAMELIZED ONION BACON CHEESECAKE BITES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium.
• Add the sliced onions to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat to soften.
• Add the brown sugar and Balsamic Vinegar to the skillet.
• Sauté uncovered, occasionally stirring for about 8 minutes or until the onions are translucent and reduced in size by half.
• Reduce the heat to low and slowly sauté the onions until golden brown and caramelized. The sauce will have thickened and will cling to the onions. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes or longer. Do not overcook.
• When the onions have caramelized remove pan from heat and allow to cool.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container if making the appetizers the next day.
• Beat the cream cheese, egg, salt, and pepper on high until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 6 tablespoons of the balsamic caramelized onions and 2 tablespoons of the chopped bacon.
• Using a small spoon or a frosting decorator bag fill each Phyllo cup with the cream cheese filling.
• Bake in a preheated 350 F. degrees oven for 12-15 minutes or until the filling is set.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Top each baked Phyllo cup with 1/4 teaspoon of the remaining chopped balsamic caramelized onion.
• Top each appetizer with a sprinkling of the remaining finely chopped bacon.

MAPLE BACON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust: In a food processor, pulse the wafers, pecans, sugar and cinnamon until they reach a consistency that can be pressed. Work the butter into the mix until crumbly. Press uniformly into 1 large or 6 mini springform pans. Bake for 5 minutes.
• For the filling: In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and mix well. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time; mix well and scrape down the sides before adding the next egg. Add the maple syrup and extract. Pour into the pan with the baked crust, stopping 1/2 inch from the top of the crust. Bake for 12 minutes (if using mini pans) or 27 minutes (if using a large pan). After 5 or 10 minutes (depending on the size of pan), put the pieces of bacon into the cheesecake.
• For the topping: Mix the sour cream, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and bacon fat in a bowl. Carefully pour spoonfuls of the topping on the cheesecake from the outside edges to the middle of the top. Be careful to not overfill the pan. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and cool in the refrigerator until set.
• For the candied bacon garnish: Cook the bacon until crispy and place on a rack. Mix the maple syrup with the extract and pepper and paint the mixture with a pastry brush on both sides of the bacon. Broil the bacon for 1 minute on each side. Crack more pepper over the bacon and cool until set. Garnish the cheesecake with the candied bacon.

MUSHROOM AND BACON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. , In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and red pepper in oil for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook and stir for 10 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, salt and pepper until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in the bacon, feta cheese, parsley and mushroom mixture. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight., Remove sides of pan. Top with mushrooms, parsley and additional bacon if desired. Serve with crackers.