Holiday Cranberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Antlers is the most delicious cheesecake of the holiday season, chocolate antlers for a bit of whimsy.
Rudolph Crashed Into Dessert!
There are desserts that whisper “holiday cheer,” and then there are desserts that crash headfirst into it, antlers first! These Holiday Cranberry Cheesecakes with Chocolate Antlers are my playful nod to the most famous reindeer of all.
Picture this: Rudolph, dashing through the snow, misjudges his landing and whoops! He ends up face-first in a snowbank made of sweet, velvety cream cheese.
Holiday Cheesecake
Each individual cheesecake begins with a buttery gingersnap crust, crisp, spicy, and just the right amount of naughty.
The filling is pure holiday indulgence: mascarpone blended with heavy cream, eggs, and a touch of sugar until it’s smooth enough to make Santa himself skip the cookies.
Once baked and cooled, they’re topped with a jewel-bright cranberry compote, fresh cranberries simmered gently with orange zest and a hint of clove, creating that perfect dance between tart and sweet.
Holiday Antlers
The real showstopper? The chocolate antlers! Hand-shaped from melted chocolate and left to cool until firm, they perch proudly atop each little cheesecake like Rudolph himself stopped by to lend his flair.
The result is equal parts elegant and mischievous, just the sort of dessert that makes the holiday table sparkle with laughter and delight.
Serve them with a dusting of powdered sugar “snow” or a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce if you’re feeling extra festive. Either way, these reindeer-approved cheesecakes are bound to make spirits bright, one sweet crash landing at a time.
Holiday Fun And Deliciousness
You know Santa is famous for his indulgence in Santa Cookies? Well this year, Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, is getting his first and most delicious holiday dessert indulgence as well. Eat your heart out Santa!
This easy to make and fun dessert is made to look as though Rudolph made a crash landing in a snowbank, lost an antler or two. Images of his bright shining red nose will be replicated by the cranberries. It’s fun, healthy-ish, and delicious!
Rudolph Chocolate Antlers And The Reindeer Gang
Admit it, there is something spectacular about a reindeer, even if they don’t fly!
Hollywood has a way of embedding visuals in our memory that ignite the child in us throughout our lives. Reindeer at Christmas time are about as whimsical as symbols get.
An amazing Christmas cheesecake, for me, needed to be individual holiday cheesecakes, in which I could create holiday whimsy by putting chocolate antlers sticking out from each of them!
Served on a platter, these individual cheesecakes with a cranberry mixture on top and chocolate antlers sticking out here and there, invoked the imagination, even for us grownups! For sure, you will expect Rudolph and the Reindeer gang to be on their way.
Cheesecake With Options
While a rich, dense cheesecake is traditionally made with cream cheese or mascarpone, there are some fabulous plant cream cheese substitutes to use in this recipe.
Since eggs are what bind a cheese cake together when baking, and sugar is what sweetens it, just about any type of creamed cheese can be used successfully.
That also goes for the sugar to be substituted with agave or other sweeteners of your choice.
Festive Cheesecake For Any Holiday Celebration
For a simple yet rich holiday cheesecake, nothing whips into place faster than eggs, sugar, mascarpone and some cream.
Flavor with a favorite essence, even some rum, but for this cheese cake we will use vanilla extract.
Once the crust is pressed into the pan or pans (one large or several individual sizes), the cream cheese mixture gets whipped, transferred to the crusts and bakes rather quickly.
Once the cheesecake cools, the fun begins as we decorate with chocolate reindeer antlers and a scrumptious dollop of homemade cranberry compote or sauce.
Chocolate Reindeer Antlers
I’m sure chocolate reindeer antlers can be purchased, ready made, around the holidays, but making them is so easy.
As for the whimsical antlers? I drew an antler, then used the single drawing to make many, so I could make lots of antlers out of melted chocolate.
No, I can’t draw, so I found one on the internet on my phone, set a piece of paper over my phone and traced it, perfect!
Feel free to print out my antlers and use them as a guide. I do it every year now!
How To Make Chocolate Reindeer Antlers
On a piece of parchment paper, simply draw a bunch of antlers. Turn the paper over and you’ve got a guide for making chocolate antlers.
Melt some chocolate, transfer to a plastic bottle fitted with a tip (like the kind you find for hair color applications), keep the bottle in very warm water (as needed), and quickly draw the antler stencils you have made with the chocolate.
Pop the chocolate antlers in the fridge for about 20 minutes (or freezer for future use), and the chocolate antlers are ready when the cheesecake is ready to be served.
Cheesecake Crust
Since the cheesecake will be baked, you can make the crust out of any of your favorite pie crusts.
I made a gingersnap pie crust with this recipe because the ginger flavor compliments all the other flavors and it is so easy to put together, though graham crackers can be used too.
Individual Cheesecake Pans – A Mason Jar Moment
One of the sweetest secrets of this recipe is how easy, and affordable it is to bake the cheesecakes in Mason jar lids. Those humble little rings, usually tucked away in the pantry for summer jams, make the perfect mini pie pans for the holidays. They’re just the right size for an individual cheesecake, sturdy enough to hold their shape, and make cleanup almost as magical as the dessert itself.
There’s something so homey about seeing a tray of these little cheesecakes nestled in their silver rings, each one topped with cranberry sparkle and chocolate antlers standing proud. It’s the kind of simple ingenuity that reminds us holiday baking doesn’t need to be complicated, just creative, a little playful, and full of love.
When making cheesecake, large or individual, a spring-form pan, where the bottom is easily removed after baking, makes it easier to serve. It’s nice to have a small collection of mini springform pans (I love mine), but they can be a bit pricey. However the easiest, cheapest removable bottom pans? The lids to Mason Jars!
I have a huge collection of wide-mouth Mason jar lids, just the lids (like, under ten bucks for a dozen), which I use often when cooking for a large gathering.
If you flip the lid upside down in the ring (rubber stripping side down), the lids make for easy to remove bottom, baking tins for pies or cakes.
These lids are designed for heat, when canning, so they are perfect for baking and clean up easily.
Cheesecake With Cranberry Compote Topping
I couldn’t resist making the Cranberry Compote simply because it reminds my of Rudolph’s nose!
The compote simmers quick and has lovely holiday spices in it.
This compote is one I also made on The Great American Recipe with PBS when I decided I would make Thanksgiving In 90-Minutes!
Simply toss the cranberry compote ingredients into a sauce pan and summer a short time.
Once it cools, it will thicken a little and the tart yet sweet flavor of the compote goes beautifully with the cheese cake.
Holiday Snow And Chocolate Antlers
While we have created so many whimsical aspects of this frun cranberry cheesecake, chocolate antlers for the reindeer, lots of cranberries depicting Rudolph’s nose, we need snow!
For sure, you can whip a cloud of heavy whipping cream to place a dollop on top, but I wanted something that would hold together a little longer, so I went with meringues.
A quick whisk of an egg white with a pinch of powdered sugar, baked for five minutes in the already hot oven, made for the perfect topping.
I didn’t crush a little freeze dried raspberries, or strawberries to dust across the top for more story affect!
How The Magic Comes Together
Every ingredient in this whimsical dessert has its own little part to play in the reindeer’s grand entrance.
- Gingersnaps or Graham Crackers form the base, crunchy and fragrant, the humble “ground” where our snowbank story begins. Gingersnaps add spice and warmth, while grahams bring a buttery sweetness that hugs the filling just right.
- Brown Sugar deepens the crust’s flavor with caramel richness, like the toasted edges of a holiday cookie pulled straight from the oven.
- Cocoa sneaks in for a hint of mischief, just a whisper of chocolate that ties the crust to those charming antlers above.
- Butter binds it all together, melting through the crumbs like golden glue and baking into something irresistible.
- Chocolate Squares are melted down and sculpted into our antlers, whimsical little showpieces that make each cheesecake feel like it leapt right out of Santa’s storybook.
- Mascarpone gives the filling its dreamlike texture, creamy, soft, and slightly sweet. It’s the snowdrift Rudolph crashed into, smooth and cloudlike.
- Cream brings that luscious body, making each bite melt on the tongue, indulgent, but oh-so worth it.
- Eggs are the quiet architects, binding the mascarpone and cream into a perfect holiday harmony once baked.
- Sugar sweetens the mix just enough to balance the tart cranberry sparkle waiting on top.
- Vanilla adds warmth and familiarity, the scent that fills the kitchen and says, “ah, yes, it’s the holidays.”
- Egg White and Cream of Tartar come together to whip up a snowy crown, soft peaks that could pass for freshly fallen snow if you squint and dream a little.
- Powdered Sugar sifts over top like a winter dusting, sweet, delicate, and perfect for snowbank make-believe.
- Freeze dried raspberry powder adds a cheeky blush, perhaps from Rudolph’s red nose itself, bringing a tart, fruity sparkle to the creamy sweetness.
- Cranberries take center stage in the compote, simmering with…
- Cloves and Cinnamon, which fill the air with the scent of cozy firesides and holiday kitchens.
- And finally, Orange Rind, the bright, citrusy note that lifts the whole dessert into a symphony of winter cheer, tying sweet, tart, and spice together in one perfect bite.
Equipment Needed
- Mason jar lids or tart pans – I can’t tell you enough how often I use these lids for both sweet and savory baking, rolls as well.
- Ask the elves to bring you several sizes of mixing bowls so you can easily organize your ingredients.
- Hand mixer for easy whipping of meringues and cheesecake filling.
- Baking sheets pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons as are the staple in every bakers kitchen.
- Plastic squeeze bottle and hand drawn Antler stencils or silicone antler molds
- Oven for baking the cheesecakes, and the stovetop to simmer the cranberries into a compote.
Holiday Cranberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Antlers
Equipment
- 8 mini tart pans or mason jar lids
- plastic squeeze bottle or piping bag with tip
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- Gingersnap Crust
- 1 1/2 cups Gingersnap cookies or graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Cacao powder
- 6 tbsp Butter melted
- Chocolate Antlers
- 8 oz Chocolate chips or squares melted
- Fresh Cranberry Compote
- 8 oz Fresh Cranberries
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Orange zest
- 1 tbsp Orange juice
- Cheesecake Filling
- 3/4 cup Mascarpone or softened cream cheese
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Meringues
- 1 Egg white *see notes
- pinch Cream of tartar
- 1 tsp Powdered sugar
- Raspberry Dust
- 1/4 cup Freeze dried raspberries or strawberries crushed
Instructions
- Cheesecake PreparationPreheat oven to 375
- Crust – In a food processor mix together crushed gingersnaps, brown sugar, cacao powder and melted butter. Divide the cheesecake crust evenly among 8 individual tart pans or one large buttered prepared springform pan. Press an even layer of the crust firmly to the bottom of the pan, or pans, and halfway up the sides of the pan.Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Chocolate Antlers. On a piece of parchment paper, draw the antlers, 16 for 8 tart size cheesecakes.Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic bottle with a tip or a piping bag with a fine tip, quickly make the chocolate antlers. Chill until firm.
- Cranberry Compote – In a small saucepan over medium heat, place the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, zest, cloves and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, turn down low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Cool completely.
- Cream Cheese Mixture – In the bowl of a stand mixer, food processor or large bowl with a hand mixer, whisk together on medium-high speed, the mascarpone/cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Pour even amounts of the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.
- Bake – cheesecake in the preheated oven until the top of the cream sets firm, about 10 minutes for small tarts and 30 for a larger pie. Cool on a wire rack, allowing air to circulate around the pans and stop the cooking. If using Mason jar lids, you can pop the cheesecakes out from the rim once they are cool.
- Meringues – In the bowl of an electric mixer whip the egg white with cream of tartar and powdered sugar. Pipe the egg whites onto a baking sheet in a design that will best fit the top of each tart. Bake until tops look firm and start to turn gold, but only a hint of color, about 5-minutes. Remove, cool completely and sprinkle with crushed freeze dried raspberry dust.
- Assemble – Place each tart on an individual plate or serving tray. Put a dollop of the whole berry cranberry sauce on top of the cheesecake. Place the raspberry dusted meringue on top of the compote and place two chocolate antlers in each tart. Serve.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.