Ingredients
Crust
- 3 oz chocolate graham crackers, crushed 85 g; or chocolate digestives
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 42 g
Filling
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 226 g; block-style
- 3 oz milk chocolate, chopped 85 g
- 30 g powdered sugar about 1/4 cup, more to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g cold heavy cream 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
- 1 pinch salt
Ganache Topping
- 1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped 28 g
- 1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped 28 g
- 3 tbsp heavy cream 45 g
- 1 tsp unsalted butter 5 g; optional, for shine
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Crust
- Make the crust. Stir the crushed chocolate graham crackers with the melted butter until evenly moistened and sandy.3 oz chocolate graham crackers, crushed, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Press and chill. Divide between cupcake liners and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the filling.
Filling
- Whip the cream. Whip the cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Refrigerate it while you do the rest.150 g cold heavy cream
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the room-temperature cream cheese with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth, with no lumps. Any cold lumps will trap the chocolate and turn into specks.8 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature, 30 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the milk chocolate gently, in 20-second microwave bursts or over a double boiler. If using a double boiler, pull the bowl off the heat once half the chocolate has melted and let the rest melt from residual heat as you stir. You want it warm, not hot.3 oz milk chocolate, chopped
- Combine. Whisk the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and adjust the sugar and salt. It should taste slightly too sweet at this stage, since the cream will mellow it.
- Fold in the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 2–3 additions, until smooth and uniform with no streaks.
- Fill the cups. Pipe or spoon the filling into the prepared liners.
- Chill. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before adding the ganache, ideally overnight, so the filling sets firm.
Ganache Topping
- Heat the cream. Once the cups are set firm, heat the cream until just steaming.3 tbsp heavy cream
- Melt the chocolate. Pour it over the finely chopped milk and dark chocolate and the salt. Let it sit 1 minute, then stir from the center outward until smooth and glossy.1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped, 1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped, 1 pinch salt
- Add butter. Stir in the butter if using, for extra shine.1 tsp unsalted butter
- Cool to spoonable. Let the ganache cool until it thickens noticeably, so it spoons on neatly instead of running over the sides.
- Top the cups. Spoon the ganache over each cheesecake.
- Set. Chill another 30 minutes for the ganache to set.
Notes
- Makes 9 mini cheesecakes in cupcake liners, or about 5 half-cup dessert jars.
- Macros calculated on the full ingredient list including the optional ganache butter.
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