Cookies ‘n Cream Mini Cheesecakes

Don’t you think every Monday should start off with Cookies ‘n Cream Mini Cheesecakes?!

I mean seriously, we are all dreading having to go through another five days of work, but maybe, just maybe, these little cheesecakes can help ease the pain and brighten the dreaded Monday. I made these cheesecakes a couple of weekends ago when my Mom was in town. I love when my mom comes to town which fortunately for me is every few months or so. One of our favorite things to do when we are together is try out new coffee shops and bakeries. I’m really enjoying all of my new options in Denver. During her last visit we tried out two new coffee shops. The first one was called Solid Grounds and the other one was 2914 Coffee. Both shops had delicious cappuccinos and lattes (our favorite drinks). We also paid another visit to our favorite place for breakfast, DJ’s Cafe. We have been going to this cafe for years. When I would come up and visit my grandparents I would always make sure we had breakfast here at least once. The other gem my mom and I made a point to go to again while she was here was Wooden Spoon Cafe and Bakery. This bakery makes some of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had! This past visit we shared an almond croissant and a strawberry oat bar, both were incredible! Finally, one of our last visits on the coffee/food tour was to a great little ice cream shop called Sweet Cow. This little shop has a great selection of flavors which they generously let you sample. They also serve their ice cream in homemade waffle cones, regular cones, or for sweet and salty fans, pretzel cones! My mom got the classic vanilla with their hot fudge which was to die for. I had a scoop of their honey vanilla and a scoop of carrot cake ice cream per the girl behind the counter’s suggestion. The combination of the two was amazing! The carrot cake ice cream had little chunks of cake in it and the honey vanilla was perfectly sweet with delicious honey flavor, I will definitely be back! So as if I didn’t indulge in enough dessert during my Mom’s visit I thought I would make these Cookies ‘n Cream Mini Cheesecakes to bring to a family BBQ.

The cheesecakes are a variation of my Raspberry Almond Mini Cheesecakes. I knew that my cousins were all fans of chocolate sandwich cookies and who doesn’t love a good mini cheesecake?! To keep these cheesecakes lighter I made several adjustments, none of which were detectable (trust me the men in this family would have noticed). For the cookie crust I removed the cream filling from most of the cookies since that is where a good portion of the fat is. For the cheesecake portion I replaced some of the cream cheese with non fat Greek yogurt, used low fat cream cheese, and only used egg whites. Again when adding the cookie crumbs to the filling I removed the cream filling. I know it seems like a sin to remove the best part of the cookie, but when it’s being mixed into cheesecake you won’t even notice it isn’t there.

For a little decadence I topped the cheesecakes with homemade vanilla whipped cream. The cheesecakes were the perfect treat after dinner. There were 12 of them and all but two disappeared by the end of the night. My youngest cousin loved them so much she wrote a note with her name on it claiming the last cheesecake. You know something is good when people are labeling the leftovers as theirs! If you love cheesecake and that oh so classic and deliciously fun flavor of cookies ‘n cream then these are the cheesecakes for you!

Cookies ‘n Cream Mini Cheesecakes

Classic cookies 'n cream combination in a lighter yet still incredibly delicious mini cheesecake?

20 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

2 hr, 35 Total Time

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Ingredients

For the Crust
• 4 whole chocolate sandwich cookies
• 8 chocolate sandwich cookies with the cream filling removed
• 1 T. melted butter
For the Cheesecake
• 8 ounce package low fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites
• 1 T. all purpose flour
• 6 chocolate sandwich cookies with the cream filling removed, crumbled
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 T. powdered sugar

Instructions

To Make the Crust
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 12 cup mini cheesecake pan with cooking spray or line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a food processor or high speed blender, blend the cookies until they are finely ground crumbs.
3. Add in the melted butter and blend again until the crumbs come together slightly.
4. Scoop about a tablespoon of the crumbs into the bottom of each of the 12 cups.
5. Use the bottom of a shot glass or the back of a spoon to press the crumbs tightly in the bottom of the cups.
To Make the Cheesecake Filling
6. With an electric mixer combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract with the paddle attachment.
7. Beat them until they are fluffy.
8. Add in the Greek yogurt, egg whites, and flour, and beat until smooth
9. Fold in the cookie crumbs.
10. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust about 3/4 of the way to the top.
11. Place the cheesecakes on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until the center is almost set.
12. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and let them come to room temperature before removing them from the pan and refrigerating them.
13. Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least a couple hours or overnight.
To Make the Vanilla Whipped Cream
14. Using an electric mixer beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until peaks form.
15. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top of the mini cheesecakes just before serving.

Notes

It is important that the cream cheese be at room temperature so that the cheesecake filling is smooth and creamy.

7.6.8

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