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If you love chocolate and cheesecake at the same time, then you’re going to love these Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes. Made with an Oreo crust and topped with a creamy chocolate filling then topped with a chocolate ganache. A chocolate lover’s ideal dessert! These mini cheesecakes are also way easier to make that traditional cheesecake!
With three chocolatey components to these mini chocolate cheesecakes, no one will be saying there isn’t enough chocolate on their plates! They’re so rich and decadent without weighing you down as they’re the perfect portion to enjoy after a meal.
If you’re looking for more cheesecake recipes then you’ve got to try these ones! My Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars and Coconut Cheesecake Bars are some of my family’s favorites and I’ll bet your family would love them as well!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Easy Mini Cheesecake Recipe
- They’re easy to make! You can make these mini cheesecakes without preparing a water bath which is definitely the more tedious part of baking cheesecakes.
- They’re the perfect size. No need for fighting over the larger size, these mini cheesecakes are all the same size and individually made so everyone gets their own!
- They are so tasty. With three layers of chocolate, it feels like we are in chocolate heaven.
Baked Mini Cheesecake Ingredients
Chocolate Cheesecake Crust
- Oreo cookies — finely crushed so you can evenly press the crumbs into a crust.
- Butter– used as a bonding agent to hold up the cookies.
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese– softened to room temperature for a smooth filling.
- Granulated sugar-use fine granulated cane sugar.
- Eggs-brought to room temperature
- Heavy cream– do not replace with half and half or any other cream
- Chocolate chips-milk chocolate or semi-sweet works
- Vanilla-use pure vanilla extract.
Chocolate Ganache
- Heavy cream– this helps the chocolate become have the ganache texture.
- Chocolate chips– use milk or semi-sweet chocolate.
How to Make Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Prepare the equipment: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Make the crust: In a small bowl combine the crushed Oreos and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. Firmly press 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each liner. Bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Lower the oven temperature: Turn the oven down to 300 F.
- Melt the chocolate: Place the chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you make the filling.
- Make the mini chocolate cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until just combined.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes: Fill each liner up almost to the top and then bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecakes to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
- Chill the cheesecakes: Transfer cheesecakes to the fridge until ready to serve.
- Make the ganache: In a small saucepan combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips over low heat and stir until everything is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Top each cheesecake with ganache.
Tips to Make these Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
- Be sure to use the blocks of full fat cream cheese and not low fat cream cheese or spreadable cream cheese that come in tubs. They are not interchangeable and your filling will not come out rich and creamy without full fat cream cheese.
- The ingredients need to be room temperature as it’ll help avoid your filling being lumpy, especially the cream cheese. If your ingredients are cold, you will end up having to mix extra to get them smooth which will lead to over-mixed batter which leads to cracks in cheesecakes.
- Don’t want to make a chocolate ganache? You can swap for whipped cream with chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, chocolate ice cream, chocolate whipped cream, etc. You can even top with fresh fruit if desired!
- Please take note of the change in temperature of the oven between baking the crust and the cheesecake! Do not forget to change the temperature.
- To crush your Oreo cookies finely, you can run them through a processor. Alternatively, add them to a Ziploc bag and roll a rolling pin over it to crush up.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips/or bars over low heat.
- Stir until everything is melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Top each cheesecake with ganache.
Check out my blog post to get a tutorial on How To Make Chocolate Ganache
Frequently Asked Questions
To see if your chocolate cheesecakes are done, you can do the jiggle test for your mini cheesecakes! The center of the cheesecakes should jiggle slightly when they’re done. Not to worry, they firm up once out of the oven.
Usually the middle of your cheesecake will sink down if there’s too much air in the batter. It’s important to not over-mix your batter and have room temperature ingredients, especially the cream cheese as mentioned above.
The mini cheesecakes will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just be sure to store them in airtight containers so they don’t dry out in the fridge.
If you’d like to freeze these mini chocolate cheesecakes, do so after they’ve completely chilled. Transfer the chilled chocolate cheesecakes to a sheet pan in the freezer and let it freeze, uncovered. When frozen solid, transfer the mini cheesecakes to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
For the best results, thaw your chocolate cheesecake in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush, you can place it at room temperature until it’s no longer frozen.
Easy Cheesecake Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
- Double Chocolate Cheesecake
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Best New York Style Cheesecake
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 12 pieces Oreo cookies, finely crushed
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 2 8-oz blocks cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Ganache:
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the crushed Oreos and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
- Firmly press 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each liner.
- Bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Filling:
- Turn the oven down to 300F.
- Place the chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you make the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
- Add the cooled chocolate and mix until just combined.
- Fill each liner up almost to the top.
- Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecakes to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
- Transfer cheesecakes to the fridge until ready to serve.
For Ganache:
- In a small saucepan combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips over low heat.
- Stir until everything is melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Top each cheesecake with ganache.
Notes
- Be sure to use the blocks of full fat cream cheese and not low fat cream cheese or spreadable cream cheese that come in tubs. They are not interchangeable and your filling will not come out rich and creamy without full fat cream cheese.
- The ingredients need to be room temperature as it’ll help avoid your filling being lumpy, especially the cream cheese. If your ingredients are cold, you will end up having to mix extra to get them smooth which will lead to over-mixed batter which leads to cracks in cheesecakes.
- Don’t want to make a chocolate ganache? You can swap for whipped cream with chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, chocolate ice cream, chocolate whipped cream, etc. You can even top with fresh fruit if desired!
- Please take note of the change in temperature of the oven between baking the crust and the cheesecake! Do not forget to change the temperature.
- To crush your Oreo cookies finely, you can run them through a processor. Alternatively, add them to a Ziploc bag and roll a rolling pin over it to crush up.
Im going to make your recipe today. I noticed you said to use pure vanilla but your photo shows imitation vanilla flavoring!
I prefer pure vanilla, I did not have it in hand.
I’ve never made ganache before. Would it work for me to make it and top the cheesecakes with it and then put them in the fridge overnight? Or do you have to put it on right before serving?
Hi Amy,
Yes ofcorse. Top the cheesecakes and refrigerate them. The next day it will just feel like a layer of chocolate fudge. I love cold ganache!
Thank you!