If chocolate says love, then chocolate and cheesecake must say it all – right?  For those of you diligently trying to stick to your New Year’s diet resolutions – my apologies!  For those of you planning an upcoming special event or scheming how to score big Valentine’s points, here you go!

These little individual cheesecakes are perfect for parties, and if you really want to express your love “from the bottom of your heart”, what could be better than black bottom cheesecakes for Valentine’s Day!

Mini Black Bottom Cheesecakes

Ingredients

24 plain chocolate wafer cookies (or 12 Oreos)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces cream cheese (one and one half 8oz packages), at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a standard 12- cup muffin tin with foil baking cups and spray the cups with cooking spray. Crush the cookies (I have made it with or without the cream filling – both work fine) in a food processor, or in a ziplock with your rolling pin, until fine; mix in the melted butter. Spoon the chocolate cookie crumbs into the prepared baking cups and press with the bottom of a glass to compact. Bake for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until completely combined and smooth.

Spoon the cheesecake batter into the baking cups. Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes, or until set. Removed from the oven and spread 1 teaspoon of the warmed raspberry preserves on top of each cheesecake. (Heat the preserves in the microwave just until it will whisk smooth- if you heat it too much it becomes liquid.)

Transfer the muffin tin to the freezer and chill the cheesecakes 15 minutes.

Removed the cheesecakes from the pan and peel off the foil baking cups. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Note: The mini black bottom cheesecakes can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine

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Favorite Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache
Layered Turtle Cheesecake
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