Microwave mini-chocolate cheesecakes – easy, single serving desserts

Last week, I experimented with microwave cooking mini cheesecakes.  I promised to report back.  Bottom line – the chocolate mini cheesecakes were a success here in MotherWouldKnow-land.  My testers (daughter Eleanor and husband Kevin) liked the amount of chocolate and the overall taste.  They described the dessert as rich and tasty, but not super chocolaty.  Not bad for an experiment.

Microwaved chocolate mini cheesecakes – 2 servings Total cost – $3.14 for 2/less than $1.60 per serving

Ingredients (Note- you can substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract and use a different kind of nuts for the topping, or no nuts at all.)

• 3 graham crackers or similar cracker-consistency cookie
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons sugar (granulated white for those still back on the sweetener post)
• ¼ cup chocolate chips (generously piled – see picture)
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract  
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup sour cream
•  1 tablespoon sliced or slivered almonds (to be chopped for topping)

Equipment (besides microwave)

• 2 small (6 ounce) ramekins or cups for baking/serving
• Rolling pin or 16 ounce can (I know, using a can sounds crazy, but see below)
• Plastic sandwich bag
• 2-3 bowls for mixing
• Small food processer or hand-held mixer (optional)
• 2-3 small bowls (only 2 if using food processor)
• Fork
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Spatula

Preparation

• The cheesecake crust is simply crushed graham crackers and melted butter.  Put the crackers in the plastic bag, close it loosely and gently roll over it with rolling pin or a can until they are crumbs.  

• Melt the tablespoon of butter in the microwave at 70% setting for about 30 seconds.
• Mix the crumbs into the butter with a fork.  

• Press the crumbs into the ramekins with your thumbs, so that they come part way up the sides.  Don’t be shy pushing the crumbs down into the ramekin to create a crust out of the blob of buttery crumbs. Microwave the ramekins for 30 seconds at high.  You may even want to press the crust down a bit after heating it.

• Put the cream cheese, the egg, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the almond extract into the food processor and combine them.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a hand-held electric beater, or even let the cream cheese come to room temperature and mix the ingredients with a fork.  

• Melt all but 1 tablespoon of the chocolate chips and add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese/egg mixture.  

• Pour half of the chocolaty mixture into each ramekin.
• Microwave the ramekins on medium (50%) for 3 minutes.  (If mixture begins to puff up too much, you can stop the microwave for a few seconds and the puffiness will go down.)  Be careful removing ramekins from the microwave as they will be hot.  
• Let the ramekins cool slightly. Meanwhile, mix the sour cream, vanilla extract and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with a fork or spatula.

Top each ramekin with half of that mixture. Microwave them again, this time on medium for 30 seconds.

• Chop the tablespoon of chocolate chips set aside (or use mini chips) and chop the tablespoon of almonds.  Mix them together and sprinkle on the tops of the ramekins.  
• Chill the ramekins for at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

You can easily double this recipe if you’re entertaining for 4. But microwave 2 at a time, or increase time slightly.