Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

Difficulty: Beginner

I tried making these for the very first time last week, and found out just how mouth-watering they really are. I was taken aback by how easy they were to make; I only spent about half an hour in the kitchen. Unfortunately, they took a long time to cool down before I could dip them in chocolate, so there is a long wait time. Luckily, they don't require constant surveillance, so they are labeled a beginner recipe. The ingredients you'll need:

For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

For the filling:
16oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated
1/4 cup sour cream
Optional: about 1/3 cup strawberry or raspberry syrup or preserves

For the coating:
24oz semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
3 tablespoons shortening


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line an 8" by 8" glass pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil. Combine graham cracker crumbs with butter and mix until evenly distributed. Pour into the bottom of the aluminum-covered pan, mashing down with a fork to cover the entire pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, heat cream cheese in the microwave for about thirty seconds or until it becomes easy to work with. Mix in the other filling ingredients except fruit, being sure that no chunks of cream cheese remain unmixed. Pour into glass pan and top with fruit syrup or preserves if chosen, using a knife to cut them in a marbled, swirling pattern into the mixture. Bake for 45 minutes. When done, the center may still be somewhat liquid-like, but the edges should be more solid like a cake. Touch the surface of the edges, and if it is still a liquid, bake longer. When finished, remove from oven and transfer to freezer after the pan has cooled enough to not destroy your freezer shelves. After an hour, remove from freezer, and cut each side into 5 sections, creating 25 squares. Place back in freezer until completely solid (for me, another two hours).

When it is close to finished, melt shortening and chocolate over medium heat in a large saucepan until melted. Remove cheesecake from freezer and re-cut the squares, pulling the aluminum foil up to help separate the squares. Use a fork and spear the squares, dunking them in the chocolate. Try to cover them entirely with the chocolate, but use a spoon to cover the bald spots if necessary. Set on wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate has solidified. Enjoy!