Death By Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

First of all, how in the world is it already almost time for Halloween?! And second of all, just how much chocolate can one pack into a cupcake-sized cheesecake?

Answer: a lot. This mini cheesecake is purely chocolate, through and through. It has an Oreo cookie crust, a dark chocolate flavored cheesecake stunned with mini chocolate chips, and topped with dark and white chocolate ganache. These babies are smooth, creamy, rich, and super chocolate-y (as you might expect).

The thick Oreo cookie crust serves as a crunchy base that just better after a night in the fridge as it softens just slightly and melds more with the cheesecake. The cheesecake uses a super dark chocolate (I used 72%) to balance the sweetness of the dessert, and the mini chocolate chips add texture and an even more intense chocolate flavor to the creamy cheesecake filling. And that ganache…while clearly helps make the dessert cute and perfect for Halloween (or anytime!), also adds that final chocolate element to really kick these mini cheesecakes over the delicious edge. That ganache is rich, sweet, and the perfect cheesecake complement to tie it all together.

The spiderweb design on top of the cheesecakes is super cute and perfect for Halloween, while also being remarkably easy to create. For when it’s not Halloween season…you can drizzle the white chocolate ganache in squiggly lines, or decorate however you think looks cute! The point isn’t all about how it looks: no matter what, they’ll taste delicious!

This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes, which is perfect for when you’re having some friends over on Halloween night, or make a batch for your family and keep them in the fridge, where they keep remarkably well for a week or two when tightly wrapped.

Best of all, these are sooo easy as far as far as cheesecakes go, and will solve any chocolate craving you may have! Hope you all have chocolate-filled, spooktacular Halloweens!

Print Death By Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients

For the crust
• 1 1/4 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (18 Oreos)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
For the cheesecake
• 8 oz. cream cheese (1 block), room temperature
• 1/2 can (7 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 4 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (I used 72%)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
For the ganache
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
• 8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• 4 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Instructions

For the crust
1. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs, granulated sugar and melted butter. Divide mixture evenly among the cupcake liners. Press the crumbs into the liners with your fingers or a spoon. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
For the cheesecake
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. In bowl of stand mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. Add in egg, mix until combined. Add vanilla extract and chocolate, mix until smooth and combined.
3. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin pans, they should be mostly full.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes until center is set and doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan.
5. Cool cheesecake for 30 minutes on a wire rack. While the cheesecake cools, prepare the ganaches.
6. Place the dark chocolate in a small bowl. Place the white chocolate in a separate bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it's just beginning to simmer. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot heavy cream over the dark chocolate, and the other 1/4 cup over the white chocolate. Let each sit for about 1 minute, and then whisk until smooth.
7. Spoon about 1 tablespoons of the dark chocolate ganache over the mini cheesecakes and shake until the chocolate covers the entire top of the cheesecake. Repeat for all the cheesecakes.
8. Place the white chocolate in a small Ziploc bag. Snip the corner of the bag to form a very small hole, and draw a spiral shape with the white chocolate on top of each of the mini cheesecakes. Using a toothpick, draw about 8 lines from the center of each cheesecake out to the edges to form the spiderweb shape.
9. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

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