Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

I found this recipe on another blog i follow, called That Skinny Chick can Bake It is a great blog, and i enjoy reading. She had posted this one before Christmas and immediately i knew i wanted to make it. I had bought something similar for my beau for Christmas, and he really enjoyed them, so i wanted to make more. I decided Valentine's day is the perfect time to give them (last year i made him truffles). Today, i am home from work since i have to work the weekend...at about 1:30 i started going stir crazy. I had already cleaned most of the house, read a bit, watched some TV, and even just bounced around the internet. I have nowhere to go until 5, when i have to go pick up my nephew from the babysitter's. I was bored. So, since it said this recipe freezes well, i decided to make it today.

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes. 


6 Tbsp Oreo cookie crumbs (i used 5 cookies)
1 Tbsp sugar.
2 Tbsp butter, melted.
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened.
1/4 cup sugar.
1/4 tsp vanilla.
1 egg.
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted, cooled slightly. (1 square = 1 oz)

Line mini muffin tin with paper liner. Mix crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, and butter. Tamp about 1 tsp of mixture into each cup.
Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed.  Add egg; mixing on low until just blended. Mix in melted chocolate. Use a spoon to fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes at 325 F, or until center is almost set. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. To serve, peel off liners.

I used mini liners with hearts on them that i got at the dollar store. The recipe states it make 20 to 24, and i got exactly 20, which is great! It also showed how to make a chocolate ganache to put on top, i think i will do that closer to Valentine's, and i bought some cinnamon hearts candies to put on them as well. 

Here is a picture of the bottom cookie portion. I found it a bit greasy, so i think next time i will use either less butter or more cookie. I also only have the one mini muffin tin, and didn't want to bake them in two batches, so i stuck the extras into a larger muffin tin. They expanded a bit, but not to much. Those ones are on the bottom edge of the rack in this picture. 

I only made two mistakes that i will correct next time. One was i mixed it with the egg and cream cheese to cold, so when i dumped the chocolate in, it solidified a bit. I had to microwave the mix for 15 seconds to make it smooth together. The second was i just dumped it into the cups, didn't smooth it or anything; i figured it would 'melt' into place. Some of them are lumpy and not aesthetically pleasing, next time i will take the extra minute to smooth it out. My beau won't mind the looks, but if i were making these for anyone else, i would like them to look nice. 

So now i am ready for Valentine's day (he does not read this, so he won't know :-P). I had a bit of a hard time in the kitchen today. I got a new tattoo yesterday for my birthday gift to me (a month early; last year I bought my mixer as my gift, and i love it!). It is a medium sized Celtic knotted shamrock at the nape of my neck. The tattooist put a bandage of sorts over it, just a clear piece of tape, he said they use it in hospitals to cover IVs and that i am to leave it on for 3 days; anyway, because i have this huge piece of tape on my back, i am stiff and finding it hard to reach up. And of course, all the dishes i needed today were on the top shelf! Soon enough, it will heal, and i will have a beautiful piece of artwork to share!