Mini Cheesecake Delights

Christmas is fast approaching as is the birthday party we are hosting for grandbaby's first birthday. That means I'm depending on some tried and true appetizers/dessert type snacks as well as trying out a few new ones. At the same time I am relying on no fuss, comfort meals. I know everyone is looking for new Christmas treat ideas to try so the Mini Cheesecake Delights are presented first.

Mini Cheesecake Delights

I picked up a bag of Hershey's^® New York Cheesecake Kisses for the Christmas candy dish. On the back of the package was a recipe I thought would do nicely for entertaining. These decedent little treats are simply a delight! There is a bit more to the recipe so plan a little extra time but trust me these mini cheesecakes

The recipe as printed on the package was not as clear as it should be. I've modified the instructions for clarity. I substituted vanilla sugar* for the granulated sugar. I used ½ c of butter instead of ¼ c butter and ¼ c shortening. Be sure to use pure vanilla extract. I also substituted the Hershey's^® Special Dark Chocolate using Ghirardelli Chocolate instead.

Mini Cheesecakes Delights

dough:
½ c butter
½ c vanilla sugar
1 egg
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp Ghirardelli Chocolate
1 c unbleached flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt

filling:
1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese
¼ c vanilla sugar
1 egg

garnish:
24 Hershey's^® New York Cheesecake Kisses

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line mini (1¾ inch) muffin cups with paper liners. Beat the butter until fluffy using KitchenAid^® stand mixer on setting 3. Beat in sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend into butter mixture gradually. Drop a heaping teaspoonful of the dough into each prepared muffin cup. Push the dough up the sides with the back of a spoon to form a crater. Proceed with the filling.

Beat the cream and sugar on setting 3. Beat in the egg, vanilla and salt. Fill the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheesecake is just set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each cheesecake with a Hershey's^® New York Cheesecake Kisses

*vanilla sugar: Place one whole vanilla bean in a 500 ml (pint) mason jar. Cover with granulated white sugar