Housewarming Dessert Mini Treats (Printable Version)

An assortment of bite-sized desserts featuring brownie bites, lemon cheesecake cups, and fruit tartlets.

# What You'll Need:

→ Mini Brownie Bites

01 - 3.5 oz unsalted butter
02 - 3.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
03 - 3.2 oz granulated sugar
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
06 - 2.1 oz all-purpose flour
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Mini Lemon Cheesecake Cups

08 - 5.3 oz cream cheese, softened
09 - 1.4 oz granulated sugar
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tsp lemon zest
13 - 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
14 - 6 digestive biscuits or graham crackers, finely crushed
15 - 0.9 oz unsalted butter, melted

→ Mini Fruit Tartlets

16 - 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
17 - 2.5 fl oz whole milk
18 - 1 egg yolk
19 - 0.7 oz granulated sugar
20 - 1 tsp cornstarch
21 - 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
22 - 2.8 oz assorted fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease mini muffin tins or line with paper cups as needed.
02 - Melt butter and dark chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Fold in flour and salt until just combined.
03 - Spoon batter into 8 mini muffin cups. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until set but fudgy. Cool in tin.
04 - Mix crushed biscuits with melted butter. Press evenly into the bottom of 8 mini muffin cups.
05 - Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla; mix until just combined.
06 - Spoon filling over crusts. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until just set. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
07 - Cut shortcrust pastry into 8 circles and press into mini tartlet tins. Prick bases with a fork. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden. Cool.
08 - Whisk milk, egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a saucepan. Gently heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool slightly, then fill tartlet shells.
09 - Top each tartlet with fresh berries.
10 - Arrange all mini treats on a tiered serving stand or platter. Garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Three completely different textures and flavors mean there's something for every palate—chocolate lovers, citrus fans, and fruit devotees all leave happy.
  • Each piece is small enough that guests feel comfortable sampling multiple treats without guilt, turning dessert into an experience rather than a commitment.
  • You can prep these hours ahead, which means you're actually relaxing when people arrive instead of frosting something at the last minute.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable here—cold cream cheese clumps, cold eggs don't blend smoothly, and cold butter takes forever to melt into chocolate.
  • Baking times vary wildly depending on your oven; all three treats should look barely set when you pull them out, because they continue cooking as they cool.
  • The tartlet shells will taste soggy if you fill them more than an hour before serving, so assemble these last.
  • Fresh berries must go on top at the last possible moment, or their juice will soak into the pastry cream and turn everything mushy.
03 -
  • Invest in a kitchen scale for the chocolate and flour measurements; by weight eliminates the guesswork that leads to dense or dry bites.
  • Separate your eggs the night before and let them sit out, so whites whip better and yolks blend more easily into fillings.
  • Keep a squeeze bottle of melted chocolate nearby during assembly to drizzle decoratively or hide any cracks that appeared during baking.
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