Preheat the oven and treat yourself to these mini chocolate chip salted caramel cheesecakes! Featuring an Oreo cookie crust, creamy chocolate chip cheesecake filling, and salted caramel drizzle, they’re sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Mini Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
When it comes to crowd-pleasing dessert recipes, it’s hard to beat mini cheesecakes! But these mini cheesecakes? They’re adorable, delicious, and downright irresistible.
The chocolate cookie crust, chocolate chip cheesecake filling and caramel sauce on top guarantee you won’t have leftovers. But if you do, you can always freeze them for up to 2 months! And who doesn’t love having dessert in their freezer?
Ingredients for Mini Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
- Oreo Cookies: Be sure to use regular Oreo’s (not double stuff, etc). And do not remove the white cream filling in the center of the cookie.
- Melted Butter: I always prefer unsalted butter, but in a pinch salted butter will work fine in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese: For the best taste and texture, you’ll want to use full-fat cream cheese. Block-style cream cheese works best, like Philadelphia brand or something similar. Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature!
- Sour Cream: If you can’t find sour cream, full-fat plain Greek yogurt makes a great substitute.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works best, but if you don’t mind a subtle flavor change, brown sugar will work in a pinch.
- Vanilla Extract: Always use pure vanilla, and not imitation vanilla which adds a weird chemical like flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to omit.
- Eggs: You’ll use a whole egg and 2 egg yolks. Add the egg whites to a container and store in the fridge for another recipe!
- Salted Caramel Sauce: Store-bought is fine! But here’s my recipe for how to make easy salted caramel sauce in case you want to try homemade.
- Heavy Cream: Do not substitute milk or half and half for this ingredient!
- Pecans: You’ll need pecan halves and chopped pecans for these mini cheesecakes. If you have a nut allergy, feel free to leave these off completely!
- Mini Chocolate Chips: You should be able to easily find these at your local grocery store or stock up online!
How to Make Mini Cheesecakes
- Make the Cookie Crust: Pulverize the cookies in a food processor. Combine the crumbs with the melted butter. Divide the mixture between the liners. Bake crusts for 5 minutes.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: In a large bowl beat the sour cream and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining cheesecake ingredients. Once you add the eggs, do not over mix!
- Add the Batter to the Pan: Divide the cheesecake batter evenly among the prepared cups. Top each mini cheesecake with a pecan and a few mini chocolate chips.
- Bake the Mini Cheesecakes: Bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecakes inside the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Cool the Mini Cheesecakes: Remove the pan from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Then place the pan inside the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Once the cheesecakes are completely cool, you can remove them from the pan.
- Make them Pretty: Right before you plan on serving, go crazy with more garnish! Drizzle extra salted caramel sauce on top. And then sprinkle each mini with more chocolate chips and chopped pecans. For a salty kick, add a sprinkle of sea salt.
Equipment for this Recipe:
Mini Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the Cookie Crust:
- 20 Oreo cookies classic variety, do not remove the white center
- 4 Tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter melted
For the Mini Cheesecakes:
- 16 ounces (454g) brick-style full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g) full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup (140g) salted caramel sauce divided, homemade or store-bought
- 1/3 cup (76ml) heavy cream
- 12 pecan halves
- 1/2 cup (85g) mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (28g) chopped pecans
Instructions
For the Cookie Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F). Line a 12-mold cupcake pan with paper liners. Spray liners lightly with non-stick baking spray and set aside until needed.
- Place the Oreo cookies in the body of a small food processor – or blender – and pulse until the cookies are very fine crumbs.
- In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and stir well to combine.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake liners and press it firmly into the bottom – and slightly up the sides – of each mold.
- Bake crusts in a preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven to 300°F.
For the Mini Cheesecakes:
- In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
- Add sugar and vanilla and beat smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On the lowest speed, add in the eggs and yolk and beat until combined.
- Turn the mixer off and, using a rubber spatula, gently stir in 1/4 cup of the salted caramel sauce and all of the heavy cream, mixing until evenly combined.
- Divide the filling evenly among cups, pouring it on top of the prepared crust layer. The molds will be very full. Top each mini cheesecake with a pecan and a few mini chocolate chips.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool to the touch, place the pan in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Once the cheesecakes are completely cool, you can remove them from the pan.
- Store in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, until needed. Cheesecakes will keep for 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
- Right before serving, drizzle generously with remaining salted caramel sauce, and sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
Sue P. says
Do you whip the heavy cream before stirring it into the other mixture or add it just out of the carton?
I want to make these for a ladies’ event. Thank you.