Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

These little individual cheesecakes were so good that they were gone before I could get a picture of the finished product.  There's something to be said about an individual sized cheesecake cupcake, and I think it's best summed up with: "You can't eat just one!"  Having a few Oreos left over in the package was certainly not a bad thing from this recipe, and having friends ask me when I'm making them again reminds me why I like to be in the kitchen.

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 min

Oreo "crusts" for the cupcakes

Cook Time: 22 min
Cool Time: at least 4 hrs
Yield: 30 individual cheesecake cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 30 cupcake liners
• 42 Oreos (or similar cookies) -- 30 whole cookies and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 lbs (32 oz) cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream



Everything lined up to be beaten

• pinch of salt

Kitchen Items Needed:

• muffin tin(s) for 30 cupcakes (or bake in shifts)
• electric mixer
• large bowl, if there is not one with your mixer
• refrigerator

The batter is looking good

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees (F).
2. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and place 1 whole Oreo in each liner.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
4. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined.
5. Beat in the vanilla, then drizzle in the eggs a bit at a time, beating until combined.
6. Beat in sour cream and salt.  Stir in chopped Oreos.
7. Divide batter evenly among cups.  To make it easier to remove cupcakes once set, do not fill completely to the top, but leave enough of the paper liner to pull the cupcakes out by.
8. Bake 11 min and rotate, then bake another 11 min longer, or until the filling is set.
9. Let cupcakes cool on a rack, then refrigerate, at least 4 hours.  (I let mine refrigerate over night.)

The Recipe Rundown


Difficulty:  While this recipe isn't overly difficult, it's certainly a bit time consuming, and requires a bit of prep work before even getting to the recipe (like having on hand room temperature eggs that have been beaten).  I'm giving this recipe a 3/5 for difficulty, which means beginner chefs should be okay if they take their time and go through the recipe carefully.  More experienced chefs should have no trouble at all.

Taste:  Words like "yummmmmmmmm" and "wow" come to mind when describing this recipe.  I'm not a huge fan of sweets myself, but even I can't get enough of these.  Hands down this gets a 5/5 for taste.

Overall:  Making these bad boys at least once is definitely worth the effort; however, there is a good bit of planning and effort that goes into this.  This is not a dessert you whip up for tonight, but something you need to have planned ahead.  With that in mind, I'm giving this recipe an overall 4/5.

Suited for:  Anyone who likes cheesecake and/or cookies and cream.