Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes with Espresso Cookie Crust

I love these mini cheesecakes - the base is my favorite extreme caffeine chocolate shortbread cookies simply pressed into my mini cheesecake pan. The pan is great because it has removal bottoms so dislodging the cheesecake from the pan is quite easy. If you don't have the pan, you can use mini muffin tins or even regular ones - you will just end up with fewer or greater amounts of finished cheesecake (make sure you grease the pan!). I usually make an entire batch of cookie dough for this recipe even though I could get away with cutting it in half. If I don't make the left over cookie dough right away, I throw it in the freezer for another day. The cheesecake is made with condensed milk. Condensed milk now comes in regular, chocolate and dulche de leche flavours - any can be used here. The chocolate goes really well with the shortbread though!

Makes 24 mini cheesecakes using a mini cheesecake pan similar to this one.

Cookie Base

Note:

• This make about 3 dozen regular cookies so you will probably have left over dough. Freeze it and make cookies or more cheesecakes later! .

Ingredients

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ or powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 c mini chocolate chips

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spray tins with baking spray or grease them with butter.
3. Dissolve the espresso powder in very hot water, let cool to room temperature.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 4 minutes. You want the mixture to be light in colour and completely smooth.
5. Add the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low.
6. On your lowest setting, add the flour. To prevent your cookies from being to brittle and dry mix in the flour just until it is combined. Don't over do it!
7. Gently stir in the chips.
8. Press a tbsp or so of dough into the mini cheesecake or muffin tins and up a bit on the sides of the tins. You don't want too thick of a cookie layer.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes 
10. Remove from oven and cool.

Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 pkgs (250 g each) light or regular cream cheese, softened
1 can (300 mL) Regular or Low Fat Chocolate flavoured sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in condensed milk, eggs and vanilla.
4. Spoon equal amounts of batter over cookie bases.
5. Bake in preheated 300 degrees F  oven 14-18 minutes or until centre is just set.
6. Cool and refrigerate overnight.