Update! I made these in the muffin tins with liners and they did NOT come out well. the batter rose and then fell. The consistency was not creamy. I have made this as a regular cheesecake many times and it came out perfect. I would suggest you do the same!
Because muffin liners have fluted sides, they aren't flush with the sides of the muffin tin, so air circulated all around the edges of your cheesecakes, causing them to over bake, as you discovered.
If you make muffin-tin cheesecakes with liners, I would serve them with the liners still on. That's the way I've seen them done, and they don't look bad at all. The serving size is just about perfect, imho.
By all means you can. I agree with not using muffin liners; they'll be messy to remove, and may give your little cheesecakes a look of being handled just a bit too much. Instead, use a non-stick muffin pan. You won't need the water bath because the mass of each cheesecake will be small. To de-pan them when they've cooled completely in the refrigerator, set the muffin pan inside a baking sheet. Pour very hot water into it as deep as you can safely get it and let sit for 15 seconds. Run a small spatula around the edge of each one, lay a sheet of parchment over the top, followed by a cutting board of a suitable size. Turn it all upside down, give it a bang or two, then gently lift the muffin pan away. Turn each cheesecake right side up, lifting with your small spatula if necessary, and there you are.
I don't have one, if I were making mini-cheesecakes for Christmas Day or another big event, I'd think about getting one of these mini-cheesecake pans with removable bottoms http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/bite-size-cheesecake-pan
They seem like they'd make a much nicer presentation than fooling around with liners. But with a bain marie, I'd worry about leakage.
Even tho I bake my large cheesecakes in a bain marie, when I make minis I don't. The baking time is much shorter, and I've found no compromise in the texture of the cake. The smaller pans have such low sides, I was/am worried to get water in the batter -- a big nono.
I'd love the know the answer to this question, too. What a great idea. So often when I make fancy desserts, we have far more than we need, so I end up taking slices on plates around the neighborhood. How much more convenient it would be to distribute individual portions, such as you describe. ;o)
P.S. I'm seriously considering this for our Christmas Day dessert. We have no rules or expectations for that dessert, so I usually take the opportunity to try something new. This one's been on my must-try list since it was posted!
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They seem like they'd make a much nicer presentation than fooling around with liners. But with a bain marie, I'd worry about leakage.
P.S. I'm seriously considering this for our Christmas Day dessert. We have no rules or expectations for that dessert, so I usually take the opportunity to try something new. This one's been on my must-try list since it was posted!