Dessert: Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

I keeping with this week's theme of the items made at Christmas, tonight's dessert is Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites. I first saw these last summer, but winter is when I make cheesecake and cheesecake-related desserts, so I held off on them until today. This recipe I found at Handle the Heat was apparently adapted from a Taste of Home recipe. I used the cheesecake recipe for making Tiny Cheesecakes because the sour cream for the original recipe went missing in my fridge. (I found it later.) The recipe is how I made it, tweaked from the original recipe in the chocolate coating as well as in the cheesecake recipe. I received many compliments on these.

Ingredients:

For the crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from 1 sleeve or 9 crackers)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled

For the filling (This is the tiny cheesecake filling recipe)

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For chocolate coating

15 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (about two heaping cups of chocolate chips)

4 tablespoons canola oil

Directions: 

To make crust

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8x8 square baking dish with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until light golden and fragrant. 

To make filling

1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Pour mixture over crust and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cheesecake is slightly puffed and center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two hours. Freeze 8 hours or overnight.

To coat

1. Once frozen, lift cheesecake out of pan and gently peel away foil. Using a sharp knife, cut cheesecake into bite-size squares. If squares become too soft, freeze until chilled again.
2. Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted and smooth. Place parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Dip cheesecake squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate mixture. Let excess drip off and place on prepared sheet. Repeat for all the squares then refrigerate or freeze until chocolate is set. Store squares in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Other Details:

• Makes about 36 squares. 
• Original Recipe
• I found they keep better in the freezer, but taste better stored in the fridge. I'm doing a test right now to see how long they keep in either location. I'll let you know results.