Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a mini-muffin tray with 12 paper liners. For full-sized muffin trays, this recipe should make 6 cheesecakes.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and the sugar until they are creamed together - about 4-5 minutes. The cream cheese should be soft, pliable, and mostly smooth.

Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mix the batter until it’s free of cream cheese lumps.

Spoon the batter into the liners. They can be filled almost entirely, leaving just a ⅛-inch space from the top. Give the muffin tray a tap against a counter or flat surface to settle the batter.

Bake the cheesecakes bites for 15 minutes. Then, leaving the tray in the oven, turn the heat down to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until done. There should be no jiggle, and a toothpick test should come out clean.

Allow the cheesecake bites to cool and set before eating!