miniature mini egg cheesecake
Oh heyyyy....guess who can't stuffing her face with mini eggs? #cantstopwontstop
Seriously, how are they so good? I made the mistake of buying the giant bag of them because IT WAS A GOOD DEAL OKAY! I've been rationing out just a few a day....but the struggle is so real. I've even resorted to hiding them on the tallest shelf in my cupboard, so it's a pain to get at. Ha!
Anyway, last year my sister made the most delicious mini egg ice cream EVER (recipe here), and this year I wanted to created a new recipe! So I decided to bake them into cheesecake!
I will say that something about the mini eggs seemed to make the cheesecake crack more than usual while baking...but it tastes incredible, so I don't even care! Also, getting cheesecake not to crack is not my specialty regardless...so maybe it's just me! I topped the cheesecake with whipped cream and more mini eggs on top, so nobody will ever know about the cracks hiding underneath. Hehe.
These make a great dessert that you can prepare way ahead of time, and you can always leave out the mini eggs and make it any time of the year! Each cheesecake should serve 2 people, or 1 determined one! Another option is making these in muffin tins, and having really mini cheesecakes. Either way, they'll be delicious.
miniature mini egg cheesecake
yields: 4-5 mini cheesecakes (4.5" diameter)
ingredients:
crust:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, heaping
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
filling:
2 oz chocolate chips, melted
2 packages of cream cheese (I used light and it made no difference!)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
20-ish mini eggs, chopped
directions:
Crust:
1) In a small bowl, stir together butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cocoa powder until well mixed.
2) Press into 4 ungreased mini spring-form pans (or muffin tins - see note below), and set aside.
Filling:
1) Melt chocolate using a double boiler (or in the microwave if you're very careful not to burn it!). Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
2) Beat cream cheese, both sugars, flour and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add in melted chocolate and beat until well mixed.
3) Add eggs, one at a time, until just mixed.
4) Stir in chopped mini eggs, mixing until just combined.
5) Pour over crusts.
6) Bake at 300 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until the center is almost set (a little wobble is okay!)
7) When you've removed the cake from the oven, run a knife around the edges to help the cake settle without cracking.
8) Chill for 8 hours or overnight. Cheesecake will keep for several days in an airtight container in the fridge, and it will keep for a few months well in the freezer.
9) Serve with whipped cream and more mini eggs on top!
*Note: I used 4.5-inch spring-form pans, but you can also use muffins tins instead (jumbo or regular). Using cupcake liners makes removal easier, but is not necessary!