These sweet potato cheese cake chocolate bites are that deal! Sarah has been making sweet potato cheesecake for years and this is one of our favorite recipes. This recipe is certainly one that you and your entire family will enjoy – if they are sweet potato lovers that is. But these bites are so good that you might even convert some staunch sweet potato haters.
Not only do they taste great but they look good too. We had so much fun taking the pictures for this recipe because the orange/cream colored filling contrast perfectly with the dark, almost black, color of the chocolate graham cracker crust. There was really no need for extra props because the texture was so interesting.
It’s Halloween colors but you won’t find pumpkin here. Although I’m sure you could replace the sweet potato with pumpkin and adjust a little to make the perfect Halloween party treat. You could just as well make the bites as is and no one would complain.
Let’s get you on your way to making these delicious confections.
First you need to cut the sweet potato into uniform pieces. We cut ours into about 1-inch pieces.
Boil, mash, and set the sweet potato aside (see recipe below) to let it cool off.
In a bowl add the cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Mix it until it’s combined.
Take the chocolate graham crackers and add them to your blender. Blend until you have fine crumbs.
Take a bowl and add the chocolate graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Mix.
Go back to the blender and add the sweet potato, sugar, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, half and half, and brown sugar. Pulse to blend until combined and the consistency is smooth. Using the blender is a game changer for making sweet potato pie from scratch. A high powered blender powers right through those tough sweet potato fibers.
Place the muffin liners into the muffin pan. Add a tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture to the muffin liners. Use your fingers or a shot glass to press down on the graham cracker crumb mixture and form the crust. Bake on 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Let the crust sit for 2 to 5 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture and a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to each muffin tin. Use a toothpick or lollipop stick to swirl the two mixtures together. Bake. Once done place the bites on a cooling rack. When they cool completely, place them in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
We baked the sweet potato cheesecake bites in muffin liners. When we removed the liners from the bites, this added ridges on the sides which looks really cool. If you don’t like this look, you can always just spray the muffin pan with Pam and bake the bites right in the muffin pan.
In the pictures you will see that we removed the bites from the cupcake/muffin liners. We then stacked them on top of each other. They stayed in this position for about 10 minutes and they did not stick to one another. However, they may stick if they stay like this for a while longer. If you’d like to stack them, you may want to put parchment or wax paper between them.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
- 1 Cup Mashed Sweet Potato
- 2/3 Cup Half and Half
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese Room Temperature
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¼ Cup Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs 10 Sheets
- 7 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Melted
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
No Bake Sweet Potato Filling
- 1 Cup Mashed Sweet Potato
- 4 Oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
No Bake Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 Oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Whipped Topping
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Start by cutting the sweet potatoes in 1 inch cubes and add to a medium pot with cold water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Strain the potatoes and mash them. Set the mashed potatoes aside until completely cooled. (See note)
- Mix the cream cheese, 1 egg, and ¼ cup of sugar in a small bowl. (See note)
- Take the 10 sheets of graham crackers and crush them until you have crumbs. (See note) Add the crushed graham crackers into a small bowl. Melt the butter and add it to the cracker crumbs. Mix until well combined and set aside. (See note)
- Add 1 cup of the mashed sweet potato into a blender. Add the half and half, 1 egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the blender. Pulse until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth. (See note)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Take a muffin tin and line it with the paper muffin liners. Add 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture. Using a finger or shot glass press the crumbs into an even layer in the liner. Bake for 5 minutes. Then let them cool for about 2 minutes before adding the mixtures.
- After the crust has cooled add 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture. Then add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Take a toothpick and swirl the 2 mixtures together to create a marbled look. (See note) Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the mixture has set and the center jiggles a little bit. The cooking time may vary depending on your oven.
- Once the bites are out of the oven remove them from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes to completely cool. Place the bites in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. (See note) Enjoy!
No Bake Option
- Start by following steps 1 and 3.
- Add all sweet potato filling ingredients into a large bowl. Blend until smooth using a hand mixer. Set aside.
- For the cheesecake filling, add cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract into a separate bowl. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Then, add the whipped topping to the bowl and gently fold the ingredients together.
- Take a muffin tin and line it with the paper muffin liners. Add one tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture. Using a finger or shot glass, press the crumbs into an even layer in the liner.
- Pour your cheesecake mixture over the crust spreading evenly. Add the sweet potato mixture over the cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Take a toothpick and swirl the 2 mixtures together to create a marbled look and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.
Notes
- The smaller you cut the potatoes the quicker they will cook.
- Make sure the cream cheese and egg are at room temperature. This will help prevent lumps. You will want a smooth mixture.
- If you have a blender you can add all the graham cracker sheets and blend them into crumbs. You could also take a plastic Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Either option will work.
- You want the graham cracker mixture to stick together. To test it take a little bit in your hand and smash it. If it stays together you are good to go. If the mixture falls apart add a little more melted butter.
- Make sure the cup is completely filled, push the potato in the measuring cup. You don’t want to have the mixture be took thin.
- The best way to make the sweet potato mixture smooth is by using the blender. If you do not have one you could mix everything in a bowl but the mixture might be lumpy.
- You can also just layer the mixtures by starting with the cream cheese then top it with the sweet potato mixture and bake as normal. This will create a layered look rather than a marbled one. Both methods look beautiful for a party or gathering.
- For best results we found if you take the bites out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes the crust will be nice and soft. But we also enjoyed them straight from the fridge lol. These will not last at your next gathering. This recipe can be doubled if needed.
Hi! Can you make these a day in advance?
Absolutely!