Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

Yield: 36 bites

 

The key to easy-to-dip bites is to make sure they’re as cold as possible. If they warm up too much pop them back in the freezer until they’re firm and frozen again.

Ingredients

For the crust:

9 whole graham crackers (i use gluten-free graham crackers from wal-mart or whole foods, but you could probably look up a recipe from scratch)
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use mild honey)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I use GF flour mix)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the chocolate coating:

16 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons coconut oil (this is essential for easy coating, I've tried butter and it always makes the chocolate seize up, so coconut oil is the way to go!)

Directions

To make crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and coat with oil, or non stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden and fragrant. Reduce heat to 325°F.

To make filling:

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, add in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, flour, and salt and beat until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Pour the batter over the crust and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cheesecake is slightly puffed and center is set. If the center is slightly jiggly, that’s fine.
Let cool completely on a wire rack. Freeze for 3 hours, or until very cold and firm, or overnight.

To coat in chocolate:

Once frozen, lift cheesecake out of pan and gently peel away foil. Using a sharp knife, cut cheesecake into 36 bite-size squares. If squares become too soft, freeze until chilled again.
Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler stirring until melted and smooth. Place parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Dip cheesecake squares, one at a time, in the melted chocolate. Let the excess drip off and place on prepared sheet. Repeat for all the squares then refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Serve or store the squares in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy