Chocolate Strawberry Topped Mini Cheesecakes

Chocolate Strawberry Topped Mini Cheesecakes

Courtesy of http://www.awayfromthebox.com

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST:
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. granulated sugar
pinch of salt

FOR THE FILLING:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs, whites and yolks separated at room temperature
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of granulated sugar

ASSEMBLY AND TOPPING:
Cupcake/muffin liners
Melting chocolate/chocolate chips
Strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter.
Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin and begin dropping rounded Tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into each liner. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the liner lightly, creating a crust. There may be some crumbs left over.
Pre-bake for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 350°F.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract until fully combined and creamy.
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
In a small bowl using a hand mixer, beat the two egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.
Add a dash of sugar and continue beating for another 30 seconds – 1 minute.
Gently fold the eggs whites into the cream cheese, mixing to a smooth yet thin consistency, then divide among the 12 muffin liners until the cups are almost full. You may have a little bit of leftover mixture, which you can use to make a bakers dozen or discard.
Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes until the filling returns to its normal shape. Don’t worry about cracks in the surface, as you’ll be covering them with chocolate.
Chill for a minimum of 2 hours before topping.

Using a double boiler, gently melt your chocolate, stirring occasionally to combine. (Alternatively, microwave in a safe bowl for 30 second intervals, stirring each time)

*NOTE: Okay, so the whole strawberry on top looks nice, but it make it sort of a pain to eat. Therefore, I recommend dicing the strawberries for the top or cutting off the top leaves and adding a half strawberry to the top.