Preheat your oven to 350℉. Line a 12-count muffin tin with parchment paper liners or any cupcake liners.

In a mixing bowl, combine your graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter to this mixture and stir until it’s fully combined. Distribute the mixture evenly among the 12 liners in the prepared muffin tin and press down with your fingers or a spoon to form a crust at the bottom of each liner. Bake these crusts for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow them to cool slightly while you prepare the cheesecake batter.

In a large mixing bowl, place the room temperature cream cheese and sugar. Using an electric handheld mixer, beat the mixture on high speed for 2 minutes until it becomes fluffy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the vanilla extract, room temperature eggs, and a pinch of salt. Mix on medium speed just until fully combined, being careful not to overmix the eggs to prevent the cheesecake from cracking.

Evenly distribute the cheesecake batter on top of each of the slightly warm, prepared crusts in the muffin tin. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles, then use a toothpick to swirl through the batter for an even surface.

If using a water bath, place the large baking pan in the preheated oven and position the muffin tin inside the pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking pan until it reaches about halfway up the side of the muffin tin. Bake the cheesecakes for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are rounded and the centers are no longer jiggly.

Once baked, lift the muffin tin out of the water bath and let the cheesecakes cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature before transferring them to the refrigerator. Allow them to chill for about 3 hours or until they are fully set. Serve your cheesecakes with your favorite toppings, such as whipped cream or berry sauce.