Mini Milk Chocolate Cheesecakes

Today is the final day (the best day...dessert day) of the 7 course virtual progressive dinner that is Share Our Holiday Table.   This is event is a fundraiser in support of Share Our Strength's 'No Kid Hungry Campaign'.  This campaign centers on bringing awareness to the over 17 million children in the United States that go hungry on a daily basis.  Over the past two weeks, over 50 bloggers have lent their voices to this campaign by introducing great recipes on their blogs in 4 different categories: gourmet, family friendly, vegetarian and gluten-free.  With this combined effort and your help, we can raise awareness and help to end childhood hunger in the United States. 

I really wanted to be involved in this fundraiser, and this campaign!  I jumped in a little late, but I did manage to snag a dessert spot.  My dessert spot landed me in the "Gourmet" category, which is not my strong point, but hey...I love a challenge.  As I tried to find something "fancy-shmancy", I started by looking up what the word "gourmet" meant.  I mean...who really knows what it means?  To make a long story short, it basically means that it is something made with wonderful ingredients and it is sophisticated.  So...now what?

This is so out of my element!  I am a home-cookin' kind of gal.  So, that got me thinking. Can gourmet be simple? Why yes, ladies and gentlemen, it can be. 

I made Mini Milk Chocolate Cheesecakes for this lovely dinner party.  (By the way, thank you for the invitation!)  They are simple, rich and wonderful.  They have very few ingredients and you can make them way ahead of time, too!

I started by melting some Hershey Chocolate Bars in the microwave. 

I added the chocolate, sugar and vanilla to a blended cream cheese.  ( I learned that if you want your cheesecakes nice and creamy...beat your room temperature cream cheese for about 2 minutes before adding other ingredients.) 

Then add your egg.  Your mixture will become fluff-ier! 

Spoon your batter into muffin cups in a muffin tin.  ( I baked mine in stoneware...but I think a metal pan would work great, too.) 

When you bake your cheesecakes, they will come out a little fluffy, but will sink just a bit.  It is normal!!

Refrigerate for a couple of hours.  Melt a little bit of white or dark chocolate and drizzle it over each cheesecake. 

OR...to give it that "gourmet" feel draw with a little bit of white chocolate on a plate, refrigerate, and then break and place on the cheesecakes. Then...simple will be gourmet. 

Enjoy!

Mini Milk Chocolate Cheesecakes

(* my adaptions)

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

4 ounces Bittersweet/semisweet chocolate * I used 4 ounces of Milk Chocolate Hershey Bars

1 large egg

* 1 teaspoon of vanilla  ( I use Molina vanilla...it is awesome)

Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Line 6 standard muffin tins with liners and lightly grease with cooking spray. 

*This actually makes 8 cheesecakes. 

Put the cream cheese in a medium bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer until it is really smooth!

Add in the sugar, chocolate, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Add your egg and beat until it is incorporated. 

Spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake until the centers barely jiggle when you nudge the pan.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.  Cool completely.  Refrigerate.  Drizzle white or dark chocolate over cheesecakes just before serving. 

(Recipe adapted from Abigail Johnson Dodge's Desserts 4 Today: Mini Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecakes)

Check out my fellow Share Our Holiday Table dessert bloggers today!!

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

TableFare

Cooking On the Side

Devour The World

Hoosier Homemade

 For the Joy of Food

Daydreamer Desserts

The Food Junkie

Deliciously Organic

Savory Sweet Life

Jeanette's Healthy Living

Cook It Allergy Free