Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

I had big plans for these No Bake Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes.  They were originally slated to be added to the Thanksgiving dessert table at my mother’s soirée last week.   Unfortunately they never arrived.  By the time I was finished taking the final photos several were already gone.  The following morning several more had disappeared.  As I pondered the situation, I realized that the main reason I had made these luscious little cheesecakes was so that I’d have a gluten free dessert to accommodate my holiday cravings.  The other reason of course is the fact that you should never arrive empty handed.  Since I had the last point covered with a batch of the dark chocolate walnut fudge and a variety of butter cookies, I greedily thought it was best to just keep these little babies home.  Yes, I stowed them away in the freezer.  Now whenever I need a gluten free sweet treat I can just raid the freezer and I’m home free.  In my defense, these might have been lost in the sea of beautifully executed pies and cakes that my mom infamously bakes to spread the family love.  Turns out she had already planned for my dietary restrictions and baked me a delicious cup of her coconut custard pie filling.  And she used cornstarch in the turkey gravy.  Thanks Mom.

Ingredients list

·         FOR THE FILLING

·         16 oz light cream cheese, softened

·         ¾ cup light sour cream

·         1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

·         ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         ½ cup milk

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         FOR THE CRUST

·         2 cups honey nut Chex cereal

·         1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

·         2 tbsp brown sugar

·         2 tbsp butter, melted

Video Tutorial:  

Instructions

1.      Line your muffin tins with 16 paper liners.

2.      Place the cereal into a plastic bag and crush it into fine crumbs with a rolling pin then put it into a medium bowl and add the cocoa, and brown sugar. Stir it together before adding the melted butter then stir it until the mixture is well combined. 

3.      Divide the crust mixture evenly among the 16 liners then pat it down with the bottom of a small glass and set aside. 

4.      In a large bowl add the softened cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla. Using a hand mixer or a wire whisk beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

5.      In a medium bowl stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and milk until it appears lump free then add it to the cream cheese mixture and stir them together with a rubber spatula until the filling is well combined.

6.      Divide the filling evenly among the cupcake liners then smooth out the tops with the back of a spoon.  Cover and chill for 4-6 hours before serving.  If you can make them a day ahead of time that’s even better to give them plenty of time to set.

Chocolate Snowflakes

To garnish I melted some chocolate chips, spooned the melted chocolate into a small Ziploc bag then snipped the corner and piped some snowflakes onto a piece of parchment paper.  The smaller ones it turned out were not quite sturdy enough but the larger ones survived well to make this chocolate indulgence look slightly more impressive.