Death By Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
These Death by Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes have an Oreo cookie crust, a creamy chocolate cheesecake studded with chocolate chips, all topped with a chocolate ganache spiderweb.
First of all, how in the world is it already almost time for Halloween?! And second of all, just how much chocolate can one pack into a cupcake-sized cheesecake?
Answer: a lot. This mini cheesecake is purely chocolate, through and through. It has an Oreo cookie crust, a dark chocolate flavored cheesecake stunned with mini chocolate chips, and topped with dark and white chocolate ganache. These babies are smooth, creamy, rich, and super chocolate-y (as you might expect).
The thick Oreo cookie crust serves as a crunchy base that just better after a night in the fridge as it softens just slightly and melds more with the cheesecake. The cheesecake uses a super dark chocolate (I used 72%) to balance the sweetness of the dessert, and the mini chocolate chips add texture and an even more intense chocolate flavor to the creamy cheesecake filling. And that ganache…while clearly helps make the dessert cute and perfect for Halloween (or anytime!), also adds that final chocolate element to really kick these mini cheesecakes over the delicious edge. That ganache is rich, sweet, and the perfect cheesecake complement to tie it all together.
The spiderweb design on top of the cheesecakes is super cute and perfect for Halloween, while also being remarkably easy to create. For when it’s not Halloween season…you can drizzle the white chocolate ganache in squiggly lines, or decorate however you think looks cute! The point isn’t all about how it looks: no matter what, they’ll taste delicious!
This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes, which is perfect for when you’re having some friends over on Halloween night, or make a batch for your family and keep them in the fridge, where they keep remarkably well for a week or two when tightly wrapped.
Best of all, these are sooo easy as far as far as cheesecakes go, and will solve any chocolate craving you may have! Hope you all have chocolate-filled, spooktacular Halloweens!
PrintDeath By Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/4 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (18 Oreos, or other chocolate sandwich cookie)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter (melted)
For the cheesecake
- 8 oz. cream cheese (1 block, room temperature)
- 1/2 can (7 oz. sweetened condensed milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 4 oz. dark chocolate (melted and cooled slightly (I used 72%))
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
For the ganache
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (divided)
- 8 oz. dark chocolate (chopped)
- 4 oz. white chocolate (chopped)
Instructions
For the crust
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs, granulated sugar and melted butter. Divide mixture evenly among the cupcake liners. Press the crumbs into the liners with your fingers or a spoon. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
For the cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In bowl of stand mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. Add in egg, mix until combined. Add vanilla extract and chocolate, mix until smooth and combined.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin pans, they should be mostly full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until center is set and doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan.
- Cool cheesecake for 30 minutes on a wire rack. While the cheesecake cools, prepare the ganaches.
- Place the dark chocolate in a small bowl. Place the white chocolate in a separate bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it’s just beginning to simmer. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot heavy cream over the dark chocolate, and the other 1/4 cup over the white chocolate. Let each sit for about 1 minute, and then whisk until smooth.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoons of the dark chocolate ganache over the mini cheesecakes and shake until the chocolate covers the entire top of the cheesecake. Repeat for all the cheesecakes.
- Place the white chocolate in a small Ziploc bag. Snip the corner of the bag to form a very small hole, and draw a spiral shape with the white chocolate on top of each of the mini cheesecakes. Using a toothpick, draw about 8 lines from the center of each cheesecake out to the edges to form the spiderweb shape.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
These are beyond adorable – love them and their little spiderwebs! Great photos also, Rachel.
Those are cute!! Normally I would have been sad to see a recipe with oreos because my daughter is allergic, but I just found an organic brand that she can have and I can’t wait to make thses!
Oh, good! It’s great that there’s so many Oreo alternatives now :) hope you like the recipe Joanna!
Oh my gosh these look beyond to die for! nomnomnom.
Love your spider web designs too, so pretty! Pinned!
Thanks for the kind words and the pin, Krystle!
These look amazing – so chocolate-y! Love!
Ahh, Rachel! These little cheesecakes look fabulous! Seriously rich and decadent. I love all the chocolate with those chocolate spiderwebs on top. I’ve been really into cheesecake lately and am dying for one of these! :)
How stinkin cute are these!?! I love the idea of having a little tray of these out for Halloween. : )
Halloween sure did come fast this year. These cheesecakes are so cute and the ganache design on top is very creative.
These look delicious and perfect for Halloween! There’s definitely nothing wrong with a little extra chocolate either.
This is one incredible mini cheesecake. All of that chocolate, SWOON! Pinning!
These are adorable! I love the spider web design. They sound so rich. I probably would only be able to handle half of one!
They’re definitely rich, and half of one was perfect for me! They keep really well in the fridge though – I’ve had my batch for a few days now and we have 3 left, and they’re just as good as when they were first made. So glad you like them, Julia!
these are so cute! I’m seriously drooling! Pinning!
PS: No idea how it’s already time for Halloween?! Where did the time go?
These are a lot simpler than I thought they would be. YUM!
These mini cheesecakes are adorable. Love your presentation!
Loved this! Beautiful pictures!
Literally just a few minutes a go I was like WTF, Halloween is NEXT FRIDAY? What?! I died a little bit when I saw these, these are just SO cute, and sound freaking amazing! Cheesecake is such a weakness of mine!
Rachel, just go ahead and hand over any and all leftovers :) These look so decadently delicious! And that spider web topping is the best. So perfect for Halloween!
GAH! You’re right! Webs and cheesecakes are TOTS in the air! I totally love yours girl. We should have a cheesecake eating party. Pinned!
Chocolate everywhere! These mini cheesecakes look incredible, I just love the three layers. Totally drooling!
These cheesecakes are amazing… oreo crust, chocolate and creamcheese filling and chocolate ganache simply Heaven!! Drooling.. :)
I can’t believe it is almost Halloween either! Crazy how time flies! These mini cupcakes are so cute and look like the perfect desserts for a Halloween party, or really anytime, haha!
Hello. These are really cute and I can’t wait to try them. Do I crush the Oreo cookies with the cream in the centre or do I remove the cream?
Hi Geetha – yup, just crush the Oreos whole with the cream! Hope you like them!
Wow! These cupcakes look to die for! I love both chocolate and cheesecake so this is a perfect combo! Pinned!
So cool. Love these little bites. Too bad I wouldn’t be able to stop after just one.
Pinned.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Oh my goodness… these look AMAZING!! I am such a chocolate lover, so I feel like these would be totally perf for me!! Plus you made them so festive for Halloween!! How cute :)
these cupcakes are the prettiest, Rachel! so perfect for halloween… love ’em! :)
Oh my gosh girl!!! These chocolate stuffed cheesecakes sounds heavenly!!! They are just gorgeous and I love love love the adorable spider webs! I would not be able to stop at just one – nom nom nom! Pinning!
I love the subtle nod to the creepy spiderweb in these cheesecakes! Super creative. Also – I totally agree – where has 2014 gone?!?! Pretty soon it’ll be time for Christmas (or at least that’s what JoAnn’s Christmas aisle is telling me…)
Eeeek these are sooooo cool!! What a wonderful idea, in my opinion you can never have too much chocolate!
Seriously, can I have some your mad-good decorating skills?! These cheesecakes are kinda perfection. :D Love LOVE that adorbs little spiderweb!
Thank you Sarah! You flatter me, because these were seriously TOO easy! They’re a very forgiving dessert to decorate :)
Rachel, these look so luscious and chocolatey! I just posted a death by chocolate recipe today, and saw this just before I posted it so I had to link it up. I love the cobweb decoration — these are gorgeous!
I have definitely pinned the images of these mini cheesecakes more times than I care to admit. They look SO good and I wish I had one to devour right now!
Thanks so much Thalia! :D
OMG — these are looking totally irresistible.. Death by Chocolate is one of my favorite recipes.. love the idea of making death by chocolate cheesecakes.
Making these tonight for hubby’s bday tomorrow and Halloween!
So far, very easy. Just waiting for them to cool so I can add ganache.
These are my family’s all time favourite. Tastes delicious frozen as well.
So glad you’re loving them!!