To ring in 2012, why not make these delightful mini Oreo cheesecakes? They are simple to make and are super tasty. In fact, since one of my resolutions is to live a healthier lifestyle, I've been avoiding the extras in the fridge today that have been tempting me.
I'm the proud owner of a new mini-cheesecake pan and I was determined to use it straight away. This recipe is perfectly portioned to make 12-mini cheesecakes, so if you don't have a pan, you may use mini or regular sized cupcake liners and pans, but the recipe will likely make fewer regular cupcake-sized cheesecakes (maybe 9 or 10) and more mini cupcakes-sized cupcakes.
To make the cheesecakes more festive for New Years, I topped each with whipped cream and various edible sparkly decorations (a fondant sparkly ball on some, metallic dragees on others).
For the Mini-Oreo Cheesecakes: Adapted from Chicago Metallic Mini-Cheesecake Pan box recipe
Makes 12 mini cheesecakes
Filling:
1 8-oz block cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup finely crushed oreo cookies
Crust:
3/4 cup finely crushed Oreo cookies (I used Glutino brand gluten free sandwich cookies- terrible name, good cookies)
1/4 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or butter mini cheesecake pan. Place oreos in food processor and crush until fine. Combine Oreos and melted butter in a bowl. Place about a tablespoon of oreo crust into each cup and press down into pan slots until even and flat.
Blend cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract and sugar together until fully combined. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies. Distribute batter evenly among each cheesecake pan slot. Bake at 375 degrees for about 14 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for about 30 minutes and refrigerate until ready to serve.
NOTE: I crushed my Oreos a little too fine, which gave my cheesecake a more overall chocolate look. I also made extra crust and put a little too much in each cheesecake cup. The recipe provided is for less crust to allow for more filling: crust ratio.
