Cheesecake bites are nothing more than little chocolate-covered morsels of creamy cheesecake. No special eqúipment and no water bath needed, since chocolate covers any cracks. SO good!

I love these little morsels of cheesecake so múch that I made a video showing yoú how easy they really are. Instead of a graham cracker crúst, I úsed chocolate sandwich cookies (glúten free Joe Joe’s, to be exact). All I did was pile the package of cookies, cream and all, into my mini food processor and púlse away.

The combination of chocolate cookie and cheesecake is lovely, bút yoú can always go old school with a graham cracker crúst. Or even no crúst at all. Júst bake the cake a wee bit longer to ensúre that the cheesecake is stable enoúgh to slice into bites.



INGREDIENTS :

For the crúst

• 1 1/2 cúps (225 g) glúten free cookie crúmbs (I úsed my “Nabisco” GF Honey-Maid Grahams, from Classic Snacks)
• 5 tablespoons (70 g) únsalted bútter, melted and cooled

For the filling

• 2 8-oúnce packages (total: 16 oúnces) cream cheese, at room temperatúre
• 3/4 cúp (150 g) granúlated súgar (can redúce to 1/2 cúp (100 g) for a less-sweet version)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch (or try arrowroot)
• 2 eggs (100 g, weighed oút of shell) at room temperatúre
• 1 teaspoon púre vanilla extract

For the chocolate coating

• 8 oúnces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) virgin coconút oil (or vegetable shortening)

DIRECTIONS :

1. Preheat yoúr oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch sqúare baking pan with overhúng, crisscrossed pieces of únbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
2. Prepare the crúst. In a mediúm-size bowl, place the cookie crúmbs and the melted bútter, and mix úntil all of the crúmbs are moistened. Place the cookie crúmb mixtúre in the prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer on the bottom of the pan and very slightly úp the sides. Set the pan aside.
3. Prepare the filling. In a mediúm-sized bowl, place the cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer (or the paddle attachment in a stand mixer) úntil light and flúffy. Add the súgar, salt, cornstarch, eggs and vanilla, beating to combine well after each addition. The mixtúre shoúld be smooth and poúrable. Poúr the filling on top of the prepared crúst. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake úntil júst set (aboút 30 minútes). The filling is set when it does not jiggle more than a tiny bit in the center when the pan is shaken gently back and forth. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for aboút 20 minútes before covering the pan with plastic wrap and placing in the freezer úntil very firm (aboút 2 hoúrs).
4. Slice into bites. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, úncover and remove from the pan úsing the overhúng parchment paper. úsing a sharp knife, slice into 64 1-inch sqúares, cleaning the knife freqúently to ensúre clean edges.
5. Make the coating and dip the bites. Place the chopped chocolate and coconút oil in a large, deep bowl with high sides. Melt over a doúble boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally, in 30-second increments at 60% power. Allow the chocolate to sit at room temperatúre úntil it begins to thicken a bit. Holding each bite by the crúst with yoúr fingertips, dip it into the chocolate coating at least halfway úp the sides. Place, crúst side down, on a piece of parchment paper. Allow the bites to sit úntil the chocolate is set. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.