Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Step by step photos teach you how to make these mini chocolate cheesecakes. Creamy chocolate cheesecakes are baked on a Speculoos cookie crust topped with fresh whipped cream and fresh berries.

I love chocolate, I also love cheesecake but I was never really one for chocolate cheesecake. Until mothers day this year. At the restaurant, I run we chose a chocolate cheesecake to go on the Mother's Day Menu. And since we are serving it to paying customers it's only right I taste test it for approval? So I did. And it was amazing. And I was in love. And I hit my self for resisting chocolate cheesecake for all these years. Truly stupid decision on my part. Well, Mother's Day came and went and unfortunately so did that cheesecake. So I had to make my own.

Oh, and by the way do yourself a favor make these gorgeous mini chocolate cheesecakes.

Ingredients Explained

For the crust you will need Biscoff Cookies or Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookies along with some sugar and butter. You could most certainly swap out the Biscoff biscuits for Oreos. For the chocolate cheesecake filling you'll need:

• Full Fat Cream Cheese. The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature so it creams together nicely with no lumps.
• Granulated Sugar. The sugar will sweeten the cheesecake along with the chocolate.
• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. I love using Dutch process cocoa since it packs a stronger, smoother chocolate flavor as opposed to natural cocoa powder.
• Vanilla Extract. Vanilla enhances the chocolate flavor.
• Good Quality Chocolate. Your chocolate needs to be melted and slightly cooled. You can use chocolate chips but since they have emulsifiers in them I prefer to use straight chocolate. I like to use semi-sweet chocolate for the batter.
• Sour Cream. This moisture bomb adds a nice tang to the batter. Make sure the sour cream is at room temperature.
• Large Eggs. Eggs add structure and richness to the cheesecake. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
• Chocolate Chips. I prefer to use good quality chocolate. I use the Callebaut chocolate callets. But you could use chocolate chips.

To top the mini chocolate cheesecakes I like to add some Homemade Whipped Cream or Store Bought Whipped Cream on top with some Fresh Berries for garnish. A drizzle of caramel sauce would be delicious too!

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions for Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. You can use a mini muffin pan to make mini cheesecakes. You will get 2.5X-3X the number of cupcake size cheesecakes. They will bake much quicker.

Use a food processor or a plastic bag and rolling pin to crush the Speculoos cookies into fine crumbs. Put crumbs in a medium bowl, add melted butter, sugar, and mix until fully combined. Press one heaping tablespoon of crumbs into the muffin liners and use the top of a spice jar to pack in tightly. Bake for 5 minutes and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with electric handheld mixer beat cream cheese for 2 minutes on low speed, there should be no lumps. Add in sugar and mix until full combined.

Mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, melted chocolate, and sour cream. Make sure everything is fully combined and there are no streaks.

Mix in the eggs until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so everything is evenly combined. Gently fold chocolate chips in.

Pour cheesecake batter on top of the crust into ⅔ full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until the cheesecakes are not jiggling, if the cheesecakes crack they are beginning to overbake.

Turn the oven off and open the door and let the cheesecakes cool inside the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake pan to a wire rack to cool for thirty minutes then cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Scoop or pipe a small dollop of whipped cream on top of mini cheesecake and top with a fresh berry. Store leftover cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

If you wanted even more chocolate you could make the chocolate ganache I make for my chocolate cheesecake recipe and put a spoonful on top of each mini chocolate cheesecake.

Storage

Cheesecakes are an excellent candidate for freezing but I suggest you freeze them with no toppings. Cool and chill the cheesecakes as the recipe instructs then place the cheesecakes in the freezer uncovered to flash freeze for a few hours. Once frozen wrap each cheesecake in plastic wrap, tightly, twice. Then transfer all of them to a freezer safe container. All of the wrapping helps ensure no freezer burn. Freeze for up to three months.

To thaw the cheesecakes place in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight.

• Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to avoid a lumpy cheescake
• Don't over mix the batter, adding too many air bubbles will cause the cheesecakes to sink and crack
• Let the cheesecakes cool completely before chilling. And ensure they have enough time to chill.

Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.

More Cheesecake Recipes

• Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
• Maple Apple Cheesecake Bars

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Recipe Card

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

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Creamy chocolate cheesecakes are baked on Speculoos cookie crust topped with fresh whipped cream and a strawberry slice. These cheesecakes are easy to make, you will love them!

• Total Time: 5 Hours 35 Minutes
• Yield: 12 Mini Cheesecakes 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Crust

• 1 cup Speculoos Cookies, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 16oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 120 grams (¾ Cup) Good Quality Chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 2oz (¼ Cup) Sour Cream, at room temperature
• 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 60 grams (½ Cup) Chocolate Chips

Topping

• Homemade Whipped Cream or Store Bought Whipped Cream
• Fresh Berries for garnish

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Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a muffin pan with liners.
2. Use a food processor or a plastic bag and rolling pin to crush the Speculoos cookies into crumbs. Put crumbs in a medium bowl, add melted butter, sugar and mix until fully combined. Press one heaping tablespoon of crumbs into the muffin liners and use the top of a spice jar to pack in tightly. Bake for 5 minutes and set aside.

Cheesecake

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with electric handheld mixer beat cream cheese for 2 minutes on low speed, there should be no lumps. Add in sugar and mix until full combined. Mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, melted chocolate, and sour cream. Make sure everything is fully combined and there are no streaks. Mix in the eggs until fully combined. Gently fold chocolate chips in.
2. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust into ⅔ full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until the cheesecakes are not jiggling, if the cheesecakes crack they are beginning to overbake. Turn the oven off and open the door and let the cheesecakes cool inside the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake pan to a wire rack to cool for thirty minutes then cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Topping

1. Scoop a small dollop of whipped cream on top of mini cheesecake and top with a fresh berry. Store leftover cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Equipment

Callebaut Chocolate Callets

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Callebaut Milk Chocolate Callets

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Cordless Hand Mixer

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Cupcake Pan

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KitchenAid Stand Mixer

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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Notes

Freezing: Cheesecakes are an excellent candidate for freezing but I suggest you freeze them with no toppings. Cool and chill the cheesecakes as the recipe instructs then place the cheesecakes in the freezer uncovered to flash freeze for a few hours. Once frozen wrap each cheesecake in plastic wrap, tightly, twice. Then transfer all of them to a freezer safe container. All of the wrapping helps ensure no freezer burn. Freeze for up to three months. To thaw the cheesecakes place in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. 

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Chill Time: 5 Hours
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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