oreo cheesecake bites

As photography season comes to a close, I am having more time on weekends to get back to baking for my family.  I have a long list of recipes I want to experiment with and had a great excuse a few weeks back to make these super yummy cheesecake bites.  This isn't the kind of thing I make just for my family.  It would be too tempting to have full access to the whole pan.  Instead, I get a few bites and share with many.  Win/win!

It was also the perfect time to try out my brand new lens.  Having so much fun shooting macro!

Oreo Cheesecake Bites - adapted from melskitchencafe.com

makes 36 bites

INGREDIENTS:

36 Oreo cookies, divided

1/4 cup butter

4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 ounces white chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides.  Finely crush 24 Oreo cookies.  Melt 1/4 cup butter; mix with crumbs.  Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

With a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until blended.  Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each just until blended.  Chop remaining cookies.  Gently stir into batter; pour over crust.

Bake the cheesecake for about 35-40 minutes or until the sides are set and the center is almost set.  Cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.

When the cheesecake is completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  When chilled, remove the cheesecake using the foil overhang and cut the cheesecake into bite-sized pieces.  Place the cheesecake bites on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking tray.  Melt the semisweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls.  Pour the melted chocolate into ziploc bags, one for the semisweet chocolate, one for the white chocolate.  Snip a small corner off the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bars.  Chill the bars until ready to serve.  Alternatively, the drizzled bites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.  Let them defrost in the refrigerator and serve chilled.