Cheesecake

mini chocolate chip cheesecakes
These little cheesecakes with a choc chip topping and salty chocolate pretzel base are just too tempting to resist – they are my favourite cheesecake recipe! For an extra special treat you can serve them with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce if you wish.
FOR THE CRUMB BASES
100 g/3½ oz. Oreo cookies
50 g/2 oz. pretzels
70 g/5 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
250 g/generous 1 cup cream cheese
250 g/generous 1 cup ricotta
2 small eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
200 g/scant 1 cup condensed milk
200 g/1¼ cups chocolate chunks (milk, white, dark, or mixture of your choice)
a 12-hole loose-based mini cheesecake pan/muffin pan, greased
MAKES 12
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
To make the bases, crush the Oreos and pretzels to very fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Put a spoonful of the crumbs into each hole of the prepared pan and press down firmly using the end of a rolling pin or the back of a small spoon.
For the filling, whisk together the cream cheese and ricotta in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla bean paste and condensed milk and whisk again until smooth, then stir in three quarters of the chocolate chips.
Pour the filling mixture into the 12 holes of the pan leaving a little space in each hole as the cheesecakes will expand slightly during cooking. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may not need all of the mixture.) Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until set with a slight wobble. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips straight away so that they melt slightly on the warm cheesecakes, then leave to cool. Once cool, remove from the pan and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours before serving.