#FantasticalFoodFight ~ Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake

Welcome to The Grand Finale of Fantastical Food Fight, hosted by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes! Sarah has some big changes coming up and has decided it's time to close this chapter in her blogging life and make space and time for new things. I wish her the very, very best and am sad to see this group come to an end - but not before we go out with a bang! 

We're sharing everything "Red Velvet" with you today. Most people have a love / hate relationship with red velvet; you're on one side of the fence or the other. Me, I can take it or leave it really, but I do have quite the affinity for cream cheese frosting which you often find with a red velvet cake, so I'll put myself on the "love it" leaning side of the fence!

I took the original recipe (linked below) and scaled this down for just 1 batch - 1 muffin tin's worth - of mini cheesecakes which is much more doable in my house for a family dessert. 36 cheesecakes would either go to waste or go to work, and I figured you might enjoy seeing a scaled version that's been tested as well! You can also visit the original recipe if you'd like to see the cream cheese frosting she topped her cheesecakes with (also a fun edible blood tutorial if you want to use these for Halloween)!!

I LOVED these little bites of deliciousness. They are perfectly creamy, and the happy accident of the Latte flavored Oreos (which happened to be the only flavor of Oreos I had in my pantry) is truly perfection when combined with this luscious cheesecake. It belongs together - and it belongs in your kitchen. I hope you give them a try, and love them, soon!!

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Makes: 12 (or 1 muffin tin)

Ingredients

Crust
24 Latte Flavored Oreo Thins
2 TBS + 2 tsp melted butter
2 tsp sugar

Cheesecake
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup + 2 TBS + 2 tsp sugar
1 large egg
1 TBS cocoa powder
1/3 cup sour cream
2 TBS + 2 tsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 tsp vinegar
1/2 oz red food coloring (half of a standard 1-oz bottle)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse, or process on low to high, until the mixture resembles wet sand, and is well combined (be careful not to overmix and turn it into a paste).
3. Distribute the crust mixture between the paper lined muffin tin, and use the bottom of a mason jar or cup (whatever is about the size of the openings) to press firmly and pack the crust down.
4. Combine the softened cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend on medium to high until creamy and well combined. Add in the egg, and combine until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. Add in all remaining ingredients and blend on low moving up to high briefly until creamy, smooth, and well blended.
6. Evenly distribute the cheesecake filling over the crusts (mine were almost completely full, and the filling is fairly "wet".) 
7. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the cheesecake is set and no longer wobbly in the center.
8. Allow to come to room temperature on a cooling rack, then transfer to a storage container and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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