Individual baked cheesecakes with a whole Oreo base and a creamy filling flecked with chopped cookies.
A cheesecake for each guest
These mini Oreo cheesecakes use a whole cookie as the base, which saves crushing cookies and pressing separate crusts. The filling is baked in a standard muffin pan and chilled before serving. Small cookie pieces run through the creamy middle, with no frosting needed.
They are a different project from a full-size no-bake cheesecake: eggs set the filling in the oven, and the individual portions make them easy to arrange on a dessert tray. There is no water bath in this recipe.
Ingredients and useful notes
Use regular-size Oreos and standard cupcake liners. Mini sandwich cookies will not cover the base, and double-filled cookies change the ratio of filling to wafer. Leave the cream inside both the base cookies and the chopped cookies.
Block cream cheese gives the starting texture this filling needs. Bring it, the sour cream and eggs toward room temperature before mixing, without leaving perishable ingredients out for more than 2 hours total. Cold lumps often tempt you to beat longer, which can add too much air.
The sour cream contributes a little tang. Keep the filling smooth rather than fluffy: cheesecake batter is not meant to be aerated like cake batter.
Mix gently, then divide evenly
Smooth the cheese with the sugar first and scrape the bowl well. Mix the eggs on low speed and stop promptly. Fold in the cookie chunks with a spatula so the batter stays thick and the pieces do not become fine crumbs.
Distribute the filling evenly across all 12 cups. A kitchen scale or a scoop makes that simpler. Leave a little space at the top of each liner, and use the same size cups so they finish baking at a similar time.
When the mini cheesecakes are done
Look for set edges and a small tremble in the center. A fully firm center while still in the oven can indicate overbaking. Large cracks, rapid puffing and sinking can come from excess mixing or heat, although a small surface crack does not prevent serving.
Let the cheesecakes cool in stages before chilling. Warm filling clings to the paper and can look under-set. Peel the liners from fully chilled cheesecakes for the cleanest edges, working slowly around each one.
Plan ahead for serving
Bake these the day before a gathering and leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight. Arrange them on a chilled platter close to serving time. The cookie bases soften as they sit beneath the filling; that is expected rather than a crisp-crust promise.
Keep refrigerated at 40°F or below for up to 4 days. For best quality, freeze individual chilled cheesecakes for up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Limit time out of refrigeration to 2 hours, or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
For a full-size no-bake option, see Oreo Cheesecake.
Baked Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
Equipment
- Standard 12-cup muffin pan
- 12 paper cupcake liners
- electric mixer
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 12 regular Oreo cookies about 135 g; whole, for the bases
- 16 oz full-fat block cream cheese 452 g; softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream 60 g; room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 6 regular Oreo cookies about 68 g; roughly chopped; filling included
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Put one whole Oreo into each liner.12 regular Oreo cookies
- Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar at medium-low speed until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.16 oz full-fat block cream cheese, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Mix in the sour cream, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, stopping as soon as each disappears into the batter. Do not whip.1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp fine salt, 2 large eggs
- Fold in the chopped Oreos. Divide the filling evenly among the 12 liners, about 65 g per cup, leaving a little room below each rim.6 regular Oreo cookies
- Bake for 20–24 minutes. The outer edges should look set and the centers should tremble slightly as the pan moves, not look wet or slosh. Begin checking at 20 minutes.
- Set the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Carefully lift the cheesecakes out with their liners and let them cool on the rack for another 30 minutes. Refrigerate in a covered container for at least 2 hours before peeling the liners and serving.
Notes
Refrigerate covered at 40°F or below up to 4 days. Freeze up to 1 month for quality and thaw refrigerated. Limit unrefrigerated serving to 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.