Coffee Lover’s Mini Cheesecakes

Name: Coffee Lover's Mini Cheesecakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 dozen.
Ingredients: 30 chocolate wafers, finely crushed (about 1-2/3 cups crumbs); 1/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons butter, melted; 2 tablespoons brewed espresso; FILLING:; 8 ounces semisweet chocolate; 2 tablespoons brewed espresso; 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened; 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk; 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten; 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed; 24 chocolate-covered coffee beans; Baking cocoa, optional

Everyone in my family knows how much I adore cheesecake. Anyone who wants one made comes to me because they know I have a lot of tried and tested recipes. But I was getting bored with the standard chocolate or cherry. And then I had an idea—mocha cheesecake! After lots of experiments, I came up with this recipe. It's really good, even if I do say so myself. —Holly Sharp, Warren, Ontario

Ingredients

30 chocolate wafers, finely crushed (about 1-2/3 cups crumbs)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brewed espresso
FILLING:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons brewed espresso
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
24 chocolate-covered coffee beans
Baking cocoa, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. Line 24 muffin cups with foil liners. Mix wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter and espresso. Press by tablespoonfuls onto bottoms of liners.
For filling, melt chocolate in a microwave; stir in espresso until blended. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; slowly stir in condensed milk until blended. Stir chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture until combined. Add eggs; beat just until blended.
Fill prepared cups with 1/4 cup cheesecake batter. Bake until centers are almost set, 17-20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.
To serve, top with whipped topping and chocolate-covered coffee beans; if desired, dust with baking cocoa.

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