Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes #NationalCheesecakeDay

Happy #NationalCheesecakeDay 2021 hosted by Lynn from Fresh April Flours!  Let’s celebrate this delicious day with our favorite cheesecake recipes-- from fruity to chocolatey and mini to InstantPot, we’ve got you covered for your next cheesecake need!

Today I'm sharing a super simple, delicious crowd pleaser - individually sized chocolatey cheesecakes on a gingersnap cookie base! You can, of course, use any cookie base that you'd like really. Oreo is the obvious choice to play up the chocolate flavor, graham crackers are always great, and nilla wafers are a fun option too! 

You can top these if you'd like, but they're deliciously smooth and lightly chocolatey just the way they are. A hit of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top would be fun right before serving though! I have really come to love making cheese cake this way - it bakes so quickly, it's already pre-portioned, and you just pull one or two out of the fridge when you're ready for a creamy treat!

 

More #NationalCheesecakeDay Recipes

• Peach Cheesecake from Fresh April Flours
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from House of Nash Eats
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake from That Recipe
• Easy No Bake Cheesecake from Salt & Baker
• Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes from Making Miracles
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake from Devour Dinner
• Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Instant Pot Vanilla Cheesecake from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Easy No Bake Cherry Cheesecake in a Jar from Blogghetti
• Strawberry Cheesecake from Life Love and Good Food
• Mini Oreo Cheesecakes from Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
• Instant Pot Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• No Bake Fresh Mint Cheesecake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini S’mores Cheesecakes from The Freshman Cook
• Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake Bars from The Spiffy Cookie
• Mocha Cheesecake from The Rehead Baker

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup cookie crumbs (I used gingersnap - graham cracker, nilla wafer, or Oreo cookie crumbs work well too!)

2 TBS butter

Filling

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBS cocoa powder

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a 12-well muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Melt the butter in a medium bowl and then stir in the cookie crumbs until evenly combined and mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Divide mixture between cupcake liners, and use the bottom of a cup to press firmly.
4. Bake the bases in the pre-heated oven 5 minutes, then turn oven down to 300 and set the crusts aside to cool while you prep the filling.
5. Add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium to high speed, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed, until mixture is smooth and evenly combined. Blend in the sour cream and vanilla extract, then add the eggs one at a time, blending just until mixture is smooth and even - scrape down the sides and bottom frequently or as needed.
6. Divide filling mixture over the pre-baked crusts.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off, and leave them in (with the door closed still) for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature until they are cool enough to move to the refrigerator - chill and then serve when desired.

Note - feel free to add some chocolate ganache, chocolate whipped cream, chocolate shavings, etc. if you'd like to pretty these up and amp up the chocolate flavor! 

Recipe adapted from Life Love and Sugar