I don’t know about you, but I am CRAZY for cheesecake! Cookies will always be my numba one but cheesecake…ugh I just love it so much. But sometimes making a whole entire cheesecake can be a bit daunting. I tried to make that process as easy as possible with my New York Style Cheesecake recipe but there are days where you just want cheesecake without the hassle! Which is why I made these cute Mini SunButter Cheesecakes. They are the perfect nut-free dessert and are super easy to make.

Making a nut-free dessert

Now, as you may know, I am all about peanut butter and chocolate. But I’m also well aware that not everyone can have nuts. When I still lived in Chicago, my best friend would come over and watch me bake but I could NEVER use peanut butter because of her nut allergy. She would get so mad when I made anything with nuts because she loves trying my creations. It was a challenge at times, because I love my peanut butter, but it was also great to get away from it and try new things.

So when I wanted to opt for the typical peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake combo, I looked elsewhere. Most nut-free spreads have a strange texture and dry out your mouth but I’ve found that SunButter is the best nut butter alternative, especially when it comes to baking. It acts exactly like peanut butter just without the nuts! Which made my life easier when making the nut-free cheesecake. You don’t treat it any differently than your typical peanut butter. Just swap it out with Creamy SunButter and you’ve got an easy nut-free dessert!

How to make mini cheesecakes

Baking mini cheesecakes might look a little tricky but it’s no different than baking cupcakes. I always thought that the cheesecake would stick to the paper or they wouldn’t bake even but that’s not the case! You don’t even have to pre-bake the crust. You just prepare the crust, press it into the cupcake liners, pour the cheesecake batter over top, and bake. They’re pretty tough to screw up. The only big goof you could do is accidentally use foil liners instead of paper liners. Pulling off those liners piece by piece would be a big ol’ pain.

You might run into some trouble when pulling them out of the tin because the butter in the crust can soak the paper on the bottom. When you chill the cheesecakes in the pan, the butter solidifies and causes the cheesecakes to stick. A great way to avoid this is by placing tiny strips of parchment paper UNDER the cupcake liners so you can pop them right out. You can also wedge a toothpick all around the edge of the cupcake tin to release the cheesecakes.

Baking with Sunflower seed butter

You might be a little bit skeptical about mixing sunflower seed butter and chocolate. It’s not too often you see that flavor combo but trust me, it works! What I love about the sunflower seed butter in these mini SunButter cheesecakes is the fact that they mellow out the sweetness. It’s a subtle flavor that goes really well with the cream cheese. Because of that, it’s a flavor that could work with almost anything! But with the chocolate, it helps to balance out the richness of the crust and ganache. You get that deep chocolate flavor with the light sunflower seed butter, creating a great flavor combo.

Whether you’re making these for allergy reasons or just want to step outside the peanut butter box, you’ll be surprised by how good the sunflower seed butter tastes in these mini SunButter cheesecakes. If you try them out, please make sure to tag me on Instagram! I love seeing your creations. And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking!