• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fantabulosity logo

  • All Recipes
  • Vintage Recipes
  • Holiday
  • Dinner Theme System
  • About
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Theme Night Dinner System
  • Dinner
  • Desserts
  • Holidays
  • Contact
  • About Jessica
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Christmas

    Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups

    By: Jessica · Posted: Oct 18, 2022 · Updated: Dec 20, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe 3 comments
    5 from 4 votes
    melting snowmen recipe collage

    Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups: A rich cookie crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake and adorable melting marshmallow snowman decorations make these festive holiday treats absolutely irresistible!

    A batch of chocolate cheesecake cups have been decorated to look like melting snowmen
    Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups

     

    We are no stranger to easy desserts here at Fantabulosity, especially cheesecake. In fact, there are more than a dozen cheesecake recipes! These mini cheesecakes decorated to look like melting snowmen are a great addition to your holiday season baking list! (Check out all of our of no-bake recipes for when you’re in time crunch, too.)

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    You may have seen similar melted snowman treats like original melting snowman cookies or melting snowman Oreo cookie balls. I’ve even made Nutter Butter snowmen, but this melting snowman recipe is made with homemade chocolate cheesecake!

    This is one of my favorite desserts to make with kids for a holiday party! Older children can help mix the cheesecake and melt and pipe the ganache. Little hands can easily draw the faces, add the licorice scarves, the pretzel arms and the candy top hats.

    While these are absolutely perfect for any holiday gathering, you don’t have to stop at Christmas. You can make these snowmen cheesecakes all winter long!

    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How to Store Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups
    • Top tips
    • More Sweet Holiday Treats
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    A quick walk down the baking aisle of your local grocery store is all you need to pick up the ingredients for this melting snowman recipe.

    The ingredients for Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups are displayed in bowls on a white marble background
    Ingredients

    For the Oreo cookie crust

    • 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
    • 10 tablespoons butter, melted

    To make the chocolate cheesecake filling

    • 2 blocks (16 oz) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 6 tablespoons cocoa powder

    For the white chocolate ganache

    • 2 cups white chocolate melting wafers
    • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

    Melting snowman decorations

    • 12 jumbo marshmallows
    • 12 Rolos, uwrapped
    • 12 pretzel sticks
    • 12 strands of pull apart red licorice candy
    • orange icing
    • black icing

    See the printable recipe card below for ingredients, nutrition information and detailed recipe notes.

    Instructions

    With our step-by-step instructions and the photos below, making homemade cheesecake with snowman decorations is actually easier than you think.

    To make the Oreo cookie crust

    1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Oreo cookie crumbs and the melted butter.
    2. Then, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the cookie crust mixture into each muffin cup. Use your fingertips to press the mixture into an even layer untl it is firmly packed.
    3. Bake the cookie crust for 5 minutes and allow it to cool.
    4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
    Make the cookie crust
    A metal cupcaketin holds 12 cupcake papers with an Oreo cookie crust pressed into the bottom
    Press the crust in the pan

    For the chocolate cheesecake filling

    1. In another large bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar using a hand mixer on low speed until well combined, light yellow and fluffy.
    A glass mixing bowl holds granulated sugar and cream cheese ready to be mixed
    Cream cheese and sugar
    Cream cheese and sugar has been whipped until fluffy in a glass mixing bowl
    Cream together until fluffy
    1. Now, add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix for about 2 minutes.
    2. Add the cocoa powder to the cream cheese mixture and mix well until combined.
    Eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract have been added to a cream cheese mixture in a large glass mixing bowl
    Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract
    Cocoa powder has been added to a cheesecake filling in a glass mixing bowl
    Add the rich cocoa powder
    1. Next, using a cookie scoop, scoop the cheesecake filling into each cupcake liner until it is full to the top.
    2. Bake the cheesecake cups for 20-22 minutes.
    A glass mixing bowl holds a creamy chocolate cheesecake mixture that will be baked on top on Oreo cookie crust
    Creamy cheesecake filling
    A metal cupcake tin holds 12 baked chocolate cheesecake cups
    Baked cheesecake cups
    1. While the cheesecake is baking, use the black and orange icing to add eyes, a carrot nose and a mouth to each jumbo marshmallow. Set the marshmallow faces aside.

    To make the white chocolate ganache

    1. In a medium mixing bowl, melt together the white chocolate and heavy cream. You can do this in 30 second intervals in the microwave or over a water bath. Continue whisking the white chocolate mixture until the ganache is smooth.
    A glass mixing bowl holds creamy white chocolate ganache
    Melted white chocolate ganache
    Snowman faces

    Decorate the melting snowman cheesecake cups

    1. First, transfer the ganache to a piping bag and pipe ganache onto the top of each cheesecake cup into a smooth circle. (Once you pipe the ganache, work quickly to place the other decorations before the ganache sets.)
    2. Then, place a marshmallow towards the back of each cheesecake cup with the face looking forward.
    3. Wrap a strand of red licorice around the marshmallow and cross it in front of the marshmallow for the scarf.
    4. Now, break each pretzel stick in half and place the halves on either side of the marshmallow to make the snowman’s arms.
    5. Repeat for each snowman cheesecake cup.
    6. Next, use some of the icing to attach the Rolo to the top of each marshmallow for a hat.
    7. Finally, let the cheesecake cups cool and the decorations set. We recommend refrigerating the cheesecake overnight.
    A close up photo of chocolate cheesecake cups decorated to look like adorable melting snowmen with pretzel stick arms, a rolo hat and red licorice scarf
    Melted snowmen cheesecake

    These snowmen cheesecakes are the perfect pairing for a Peppermint Latte or mug of hot chocolate with chocolate melts.

    A white plates holds several chocolate cheesecake cups that are decorated to look like melting snowmen. In the background, a small Christmas tree sits off to the left
    Adorable snowman cheesecakes

    Substitutions & Variations

    If you need an alternative to an ingredient, prefer different candy or don’t have time to make ganache, here are a few suggestions so these little snowmen make it to your holiday dessert table.

    • Use your favorite flavor of Oreos to make the cookie crust. Mint oreos would be delicious to complement the chocolate cheesecake.
    • We used white melting wafers for the ‘melted snow’ on the top of each melting snowman dessert, but you can use vanilla almond bark, white vanilla frosting, white candy coating, whipped cream or whipped topping like Cool Whip to create the snow.
    • There are a few different ways you can decorate the melting snowmen faces:
      • Instead of icing, you can use food safe food coloring markers to draw the eyes and nose on the marshmallow.
      • Another option is to use mini chocolate chips, black sprinkles or black jimmies (long sprinkles) for the eyes.
      • Orange sprinkles, orange jimmies (long sprinkles) or any small orange candy can be used for the carrot nose.
    • Use a mini peanut butter cup or an unwrapped chocolate kiss for the top hat if you are not a big fan of Rolo candies.

    I mean, is there anything cuter than these little guys?! I love that you can see the layers of chocolate Oreo crust, chocolate cheese cake, white chocolate snow all topped with an adorably worried snowman.

    A chocolate cheesecake cup decorated to look like a melting snowman rests on a white plate. Behind the snowman cheesecake, a small Christmas sits in the center.
    Super cute Christmas snowman dessert

    How to Store Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups

    You can store these snowman cheesecake cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

    To freeze them, place the cheesecake cups in an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve them, let them thaw and enjoy!

    Close up photo of chocolate cheesecake cups decorated to look like melting snowmen with rolo hats, pretzel arms, licorice scarves and surprised faces
    Christmas cheesecake

    Top tips

    • To make Oreo cookie crumbs, whiz the cookies up in your food processor until they are fine crumbs or put them in a large zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
    • To avoid lumps in the filling of this sweet treat, make sure the ingredients are at room temperature.
    • Be careful not to overbeat the cream cheese mixture as it will incorporate too much air and cause cracking while the cheesecake bakes.

    More Sweet Holiday Treats

    If you love holiday dessert recipes as much as we do, then be sure to try our festive Christmas Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball, these Rudolph cookies, this addictive Christmas Tree Cake Dip and these nostalgic Christmas Cornflake Wreaths!

    Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!

    Recipe

    Cheesecake cups are decorated to look like melting snowmen

    Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups

    Jessica Burgess
    Melting Snowman Cheesecake Cups: A rich cookie crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake and adorable melting marshmallow snowman decorations make these festive holiday treats absolutely irresistible!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 22 minutes mins
    Decorating Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 52 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 cheesecakes
    Calories 677 kcal

    Ingredients

    For the Oreo cookie crust

    • 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
    • 10 tablespoons butter melted

    To make the chocolate cheesecake filling

    • 16 ounces cream cheese (2 blocks) softened to room temperature
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 6 tablespoon cocoa powder

    For the white chocolate ganache

    • 2 cups white chocolate melting wafers
    • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

    Melting Snowman Decorations

    • 12 jumbo marshmallows
    • 12 Rolos unwrapped
    • 12 pretzel sticks
    • 12 strands pull apart red licorice candy
    • orange icing
    • black icing

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers.

    To Make the Oreo cookie crust

    • In a large mixing bowl, combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter.
    • Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the cookie crust mixture into each muffin cup. Use your fingertips to press the mixture into an even layer until it is firmly packed.
    • Bake the cookie crust for 5 minutes and allow it to cool.
    • Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F.

    For the chocolate cheesecake filling

    • In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar using a mixer on low speed until well combined.
    • Now, add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat for about 2 minutes.
    • Add the cocoa powder to the cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined.
    • Next, using a cookie scoop, scoop the cheesecake filling into each cupcake liner until full to the top of the liner.
    • Bake the cheesecake cups for 20-22 minutes.
    • While the cheesecake is baking, use the black and orange icing to add eyes, a carrot nose and a mouth to each jumbo marshmallow. Set the marshmallow faces aside.

    To make the white chocolate ganache

    • In a medium mixing bowl, melt together the white chocolate and heavy cream. You can do this in 30 second intervals in the microwave or over a water bath. Continue whisking the white chocolate mixture until the ganache is smooth.

    Decorate the cheesecake cups with a melted snowman

    • First, transfer the ganache into a piping bag and pipe ganache onto the top of each cheesecake cup into a smooth circle. (Once you pipe the ganache, work quickly to place the other decorations before the ganache sets.)
    • Then, place a marshmallow face towards the back of each cheesecake cup with the face looking forward.
    • Wrap a strand of red licorice around the marshmallow and cross it in front of the marshmallow for the scarf.
    • Now, break each pretzel stick in half and place the halves on either side of the marshmallow to make the snowman's arms.
    • Repeat for each snowman cheesecake cup.
    • Next, use some of the icing to attach a Rolo to the top of each marshmallow for a hat.
    • Finally, let the cheesecake cups cool and the decorations set. We recommend refrigerating the cheesecake overnight.

    Notes

    • To avoid lumps in the filling, make sure the ingredients are at room temperature.
    • Be careful not to overbeat the cream cheese mixture as it will incorporate too much air and cause cracking while the cheesecake bakes.
    • You can use food safe food coloring markers to make the face instead of icing.
    • Store these melting snowman cheesecake cups in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
    • To freeze, place the cheesecake cups in an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve them, let them unthaw and enjoy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cheesecake cup | Calories: 677kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 948IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords baked cheesecake, cheesecake cups, chocolate cheesecake recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Easy Christmas Recipes & Entertaining

    • Three crepes on a plate filled with a cream cheese filling.
      Cream Cheese Filling For Crepes
    • Ham and cheese croissant bake serving being lifted out of baking dish.
      Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
    • Mussels cooked in white wine and garlic sauce, stacked on plate, next to toasts.
      Mussels in White Wine Sauce
    • Spiral ham cooked in the slow cooker with pineapple.
      Slow Cooker Ham with Pineapple
    Subscription Form

    Get 5 Days of Delicious & Easy Dinner Recipes!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Matt says

      October 19, 2022 at 4:08 pm

      5 stars
      These are awesome and super creative and festive. Not to mention, these cheesecake cups are delicious. Perfect for a Holiday party!

      Reply
    2. Melissa says

      October 19, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      So cute and so fun to. make – I made these with my kids and they were a hit!

      Reply
    3. Andie says

      October 19, 2022 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      These cheesecake cups were so fun to make, and my kiddos loved them. They were delicious!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to teach you how to make quick and easy recipes, using simple ingredients, that your family will love.

    More about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Close-up of pinwheel sandwiches stacked on top of one another.
      Pinwheel Sandwiches
    • Chicken macaroni salad in a bowl.
      The BEST Chicken Macaroni Salad
    • Chicken salad with grapes and apples, sitting on bread.
      Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
    • Serving of banana pudding on small plate.
      Quick & Easy Banana Pudding

    Popular Recipes

    • bread pudding in baking dish
      Bread Pudding Recipe: Easy Old Fashioned Recipe (With Video!)
    • Burger baked in the oven, steamed in aluminum foil, and placed on white plate.
      Burgers in the Oven
    • Oven Baked Steak with Butter and a side of potatoes
      How to Cook Steak in the Oven
    • Strawberry brownies on white marble cutting board.
      Strawberry Brownies Recipe
    • Cheeseburger Sliders
      Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
    • Baked BBQ Pork Steaks on white plate
      Pork Steaks in the Oven

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Featured In

    About

    • About Jessica
    • Contact
    • Collaborate
    • 5 Days of Delicious Dinners

    Easy Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts

    How to Cook

    • Oven-Baked
    • Stove-Top
    • No Bake
    • Slow Cooker

    Privacy Policy |Accessibility Copyright © 2025 Fantabulosity | Terms & Conditions | FTC

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.