Mini Brownie Mosaic Cheesecakes

I found this recipe a while back here at Brown Eyed Baker's blog and I definitely reccomend checking out her blog, she has tons of awesome recipes. Although, I am not usually a cheesecake fan, this caught my eye because of my love affair with brownies and chocolate. I don't think I need to tell you anymore how much I absolutely adore brownies.....by themselves, frosted, warm and topped with ice cream, or in cheesecake! This recipe also caught my eye because cheesecake is my boyfriend's favorite dessert and when I saw this recipe I thought how perfect....both of our favorite desserts combined in one decadant masterpiece!  

 

The first time I made this cheesecake I made it exactly as the recipe said and without any modifications. I made it for a New Year's Eve party and I cut them into bite-sized pieces and it was a big hit and even better than I expected it to be since I am not a huge cheesecake fan! Everyone enjoyed it and raved about how good it was. This time I decided to experiment a bit with the recipe and I made them mini using cupcake pans and once again they turned out great! 

This cheesecake combines a crunchy double chocolate oreo cookie crust with a smooth and creamy cheesecake filling that is filled with chunks of fudgey brownies........All I can say is MMMMM!

Mini Brownie Mosaic Cheesecakes: (Brown Eyed Baker, adapted by me)

Makes 24

For the Brownies:

-4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

-2 cups sugar

-3 eggs

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 cup sifted flour

OR:

-1 boxed brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on the box

(I have done it both ways and both of them turned out great.)

For the Crust:

-1 1/2 cups finely ground double chocolate oreos

-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-1/3 cup sugar

-1/8 tsp. salt

For the Cheesecake:

-3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

-4 large eggs

-1 tsp.vanilla

-1 cup sugar

To make the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt chocolate and 1 stick of butter over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth. Let mixture cool completely. In a a large bowl, cream together the remaining one stick butter and the sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and a pinch of salt. Stir until the mixture is well-blended. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until it pulls away slightly from sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgey crumbs (do not overbake). Cool pan on wire rack. After the brownies have cooled completely, cut them into 3/4-1" squares for use in the cheesecake. Set aside 2 cups for the recipe, and will have many extra brownies left over.

For the Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 standard cupcake tins with paper liners (you will need 24). Stir together all the crust ingredients until well combined. Press 1 tablespoon crust mixture firmly into bottom of each lined cup. Bake until set, about 5 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool.

2. For the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese in an electric mixture until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add vanilla and sugar until well combined. Gently fold in the reserved 2 cups of brownie chunks.

3. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup.

4. Bake, rotating pans halfway through until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Cool on wire racks completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or out of tins up to 5 days in airtight containers). Remove from tins just before serving.