Chocolate reindeer cheesecake with cranberry compote, served as individual holiday treats, create a celebration to remember.
Chocolate Reindeer Rudolph’s Cheese Cake
You know Santa is famous for his indulgence in cookies? Well this year, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is getting his first and most delicious holiday dessert indulgence as well. Eat your heart out Santa! Santa Cookies!
This easy to make and fun dessert, is made to look as though Rudolph made a crash landing in a snow bank.
Of course, he lost an antler or two, and images of his bright shining red nose will be replicated by the cranberries. It’s fun, healthy-ish, and delicious!
Chocolate Antlers For Rudolph 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. When making these individual holiday cheesecakes, I knew I had to put chocolate antlers sticking out from them!
Serve a platter of these individual cheesecakes with chocolate antlers and your imagination will quickly expect Rudolph and the Reindeer gang to be on their way.
Cheesecake
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 cheesecake 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.
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 and used the drawing to 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!
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.
Holiday Cheesecake
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 cheesecake we will use vanilla.
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.
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.
Individual Cheesecake Pans
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 spring-form pans (I love mine), but they can be a bit pricey.
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, seven 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.
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 cheesecake.
Ingredients Needed
- Gingersnaps
- Brown sugar
- Cocoa
- Butter
- Chocolate squares
- Mascarpone
- Cream
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Egg white
- Cream of tartar
- Confection sugar
- Freeze dried raspberries
- Cranberries
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Orange rind
Equipment Needed
- Mason jar lids or tart pans
- Plastic squeeze bottle
- Mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Antler stencils
- Oven
Chocolate Reindeer Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Crust
- Gingersnap cookies – 1 1/2 cups crushed
- Brown sugar – 2 tablespoons
- Cocoa – 1 teaspoon
- Butter – 6 tablespoons, melted
- Antlers
- Chocolate chips or squares – 8 oz, melted
- Filling
- Mascarpone – 3/4 cup
- Cream – 1 cup
- Eggs – 2
- Sugar 1/2 cup
- Vanilla – 1 teaspoon
- Meringues
- Egg white – 1
- Cream of tartar – pinch
- Confection sugar – 1 tsp
- Raspberry Dust
- Freeze dried raspberries or strawberries – 1/4 cup, crushed
- Cranberry Compote Ingredients
- Cranberries – 8 oz. bag
- Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Cloves – 1/4 teaspoon
- Cinnamon – 1/2 teaspoon
- Orange rind – optional
- Water – 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- – Place the cranberries, sugar, water, clovers, cinnamon and orange rind in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, turn down low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Cool.
- – Mix together crushed gingersnaps, brown sugar, cocoa and melted butter. Press into individual tart pans or one large pie pan. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- – Whisk together mascarpone, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
- Pour even amounts into the prepared tart or pie pan.
- Bake until the top of the cream sets firm. About 10 minutes for small tarts and 30 for a larger pie. Cool. If using Mason jar lids, you can pop the cheesecakes out from the rim once they are cool.
- . On a piece of parchment paper, draw the antlers, 16 for 8 tart size.
- 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.
- – Whip the egg white with cream of tartar and confection 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.
- Remove, cool and sprinkle with crushed freeze dried raspberry dust.
- Assemble – Place each tart on an individual plate or serving tray. Put a dollop of cranberry compote on top of each. Place the raspberry dusted meringue on top of the compote and place two chocolate antlers in each tart. Serve.
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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.
