Prepare the pan and oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. This makes the mini cheesecakes easy to remove and gives them a clean, bakery-style look.

Make the graham cracker crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Stir until all the crumbs are evenly coated and the mixture resembles wet sand. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the mixture into each cupcake liner and press it firmly into an even layer using the back of a spoon or your fingers.

Pre-bake the crusts: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake the crusts for about 5 minutes. This helps them set and gives a slightly toasty flavor. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.

Add sour cream, vanilla, orange zest, and juice: Mix in the sour cream, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice. Beat on low to medium speed until the mixture is silky and fully blended. The batter should be thick but pourable, with a bright citrus aroma.

Add the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed just until each egg is incorporated. Avoid overmixing at this stage to keep the batter smooth and prevent too much air from getting in, which can cause cracks while baking.

Divide and tint the batter: Pour about half of the cheesecake batter into a separate bowl. Add a drop or two of orange food coloring to this portion and stir until the color is evenly distributed. You should now have one vanilla-colored batter and one light orange batter for the creamsicle effect.

Layer and swirl the cheesecake filling: Add a spoonful of the plain (vanilla) cheesecake batter on top of each crust. Then add a spoonful of the orange-tinted batter. Use a toothpick or skewer to gently swirl the two colors together to create a marbled creamsicle pattern on top of each mini cheesecake.

Bake the mini cheesecakes: Return the muffin tin to the oven and bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the centers are mostly set but still slightly jiggly when you gently shake the pan. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

Cool and chill before serving: Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the muffin tin to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or until the mini cheesecakes are fully set and beautifully creamy.