Preheat Oven and Prepare Muffin Tin: Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Make Graham Cracker Crust:

• In a medium bowl, combine the finely crushed graham crackers, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
• Pour in the melted and slightly cooled butter. Stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
• Divide the graham cracker mixture evenly among the 12 muffin liners (about 2 tablespoons per liner).
• Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of each liner to form a crust. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers.

Make Cheesecake Filling:

• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer), beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
• Add the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and sour cream to the cream cheese. Beat on medium speed until everything is well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not overmix.
• Add the lightly whisked eggs to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix after adding the eggs, as this can incorporate too much air and cause the cheesecakes to crack.

Assemble: Divide the cheesecake filling evenly among the muffin liners, filling each one almost to the top.

Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecakes are set and the centers have a slight wobble.

Cool: Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the cheesecakes cool completely in the muffin tin at room temperature. This gradual cooling helps prevent cracking.

Make Pecan Topping:

• While the cheesecakes are cooling, make the pecan topping. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Add the brown sugar to the melted butter. Stir to combine.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until the brown sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, about 3-5 minutes.
• Stir in the ground cinnamon, salt, and heavy cream.
• Add the toasted and finely chopped pecans. Stir to coat evenly.
• Remove from heat and let the pecan topping cool for about 10 minutes before topping the cheesecakes. It will thicken as it cools.

Top Cheesecakes: Once the cheesecakes are completely cool and the pecan topping has cooled slightly, spoon the pecan topping evenly over each mini cheesecake.

Chill (Recommended): Although the recipe doesn’t explicitly state it, chilling the cheesecakes after adding the topping is highly recommended. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld and the cheesecakes to firm up completely.