These chocolate covered strawberry mini cheesecakes have a chocolate Oreo crust, a creamy strawberry cheesecake filling, and is coated in melted chocolate. The top of the cheesecakes also include a whole chocolate covered strawberry!
Preheat the oven 325 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Chocolate Crust
Place the Oreos into a food processor or blender and pulse until fine crumbs. Pour the Oreo crumbs into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix together.
Evenly disperse the Oreo crumbs into the cupcake liners, pressing down firmly (use your fingers or a ¼ measuring cup). Bake for 8 minutes and set aside to cool while making the cheesecake filling.
Strawberry Cheesecake
In a blender or food processor, pulse the freeze dried strawberries until powdery crumbs. You'll have about ¼ cup.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, freeze dried strawberries, and sugar on high speed until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process.
Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl again. Add your eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until incorporated.
Evenly distribute the cheesecake filling over the top of the crust (I used my 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop). Place the muffin pan into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops of the cheesecakes are set (if the cheesecakes jiggle when shaken, they're not done yet).
Allow the cheesecakes to cool for 45 minutes on the counter and then cover the entire muffin pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours.
Chocolate Ganache
Once the cheesecakes have chilled completely, make the chocolate ganache. In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips. Set aside. In a microwaveable-safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream until bubbling (30-45 seconds). Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for 3 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Wash the strawberries and dry them off really well. The chocolate won't stick to the strawberries if they're wet.
In a microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring well after every 20 seconds until melted and smooth. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate one at a time and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into the refrigerator so the chocolate can harden.
Assemble
Top the chilled cheesecakes with the chocolate ganache and then the chocolate covered strawberries. Keep any leftover cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes:
Muffin Pan: This recipe can easily be made in a 12-count muffin tin. I recommend lining your muffin cups with cupcake liners, but if you don’t have any, use non-stick spray to generously grease each cup.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Remove the cream cheese, yogurt, and eggs from the refrigerator 1 hour before you want to start baking.
Cheesecake Filling: I used my 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to evenly distribute the cheesecake filling over the top of the crust.
Completely Chill: It's very important that you allow the cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for 45 minutes before placing them into the refrigerator to chill for another 3 hours. The cheesecakes need time to set before serving.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries: I have a whole blog post that covers everything you need to know on how to make these at home. Check it out here.