Halloween Oreo Mini Cheesecakes

All year long when I need a cupcake wrapper I only have these:

Finally it's time to use them! While we're getting festive, despite the fact that it's barely October, be sure to grab a package of unnaturally colored Halloween Oreos.

As always, be sure to have a companion in the kitchen. Specifically one who won't criticize your culinary skills (or lack thereof) or get in the way. Bagheera loves to hang out in the kitchen and harass me for more kitty kibble all. day. long. 

To see how far I've come since starting this blog, please refer to my first attempt at making mini cheesecakes here. Hooray for learning from mistakes!

Halloween Oreo Mini Cheesecakes
Makes 18 mini cupcakes

Print this recipe

adapted from Maggie at A Bitchin' Kitchen

18 Halloween Oreos - intact
6 Halloween Oreos - to be demolished!
2 - 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese
1/2 of a cup of sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 of a cup of sour cream
1/2 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract
Orange gel food coloring (or red+yellow if you don't have orange)

Begin by inserting 18 cupcake liners in 2 muffin tins and placing a whole Oreo inside of each. Look, the ghosts on the wrapper and the one on the cookie are scaring/making faces at each other!

Place the other 6 Oreos in the food processor and pulverize until unrecognizable while shoving the rest of the remaining Oreos directly into your mouth with the free hand.

Because these food processor-ed cookies look so much like the top of "dirt dessert", I decided to top the mini cheesecakes with said crumbs rather than incorporating than into the batter.

As always with baking, it's important that I measure everything out early to avoid a disaster! See the orange gel coloring there? It came in a 4 pack with other fun colors like teal, magenta, and purple.

Now is a great time to preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Beat the cream cheese on medium until smooth. Add the sugar and repeat. Mix in vanilla extract and eggs and incorporate those too. Add the sour cream and orange gel coloring (to your liking) and gently mix by hand.

My preference was a lighter orange color, since Halloween Oreos were already so spooky radioactive! Fill your 18 liners with the batter. Because cheesecakes don't rise much go ahead and fill them fairly high.

Top each cheesecake with the Oreo crumbs and bake for 22 minutes, rotating after the first 11.

Allow the cheesecakes to cool for a bit right after their hot yoga session. At this point I spastically wrote all of my changes and additions on the recipe print out using a sharpie - aka total overkill.

Allow the mini cheesecakes to cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Finally, gently remove the wrapper and enjoy!

So much fun! They tasted absolutely delicious and might be as good as the Cheesecake Factory's namesake dessert. The Oreo bottom really helps with the clumsiness that may occur while trying to politely eat such a sumptuous and hand-held dessert. Never before had I used sour cream in a cheesecake recipe but it truly does make a tangy difference.

As festive as they are, the cute paper and colorful ingredients make no impact on the flavor. Feel free to use any of the dozens of colored Oreos out there for your own take on these perfect little desserts!

Mine were gladly gifted to our friend Brendo for his birthday! Happy Birthday Brendo :)

What is everyone dressing as for Halloween? I've been so consumed with festive treats that I haven't yet begun my annual ritual of torturing myself with a handmade costume! It will be hard to beat the pierogies of 2010.