Cheesecake is such an elegant, classic dessert. There are so many types and variations of cheesecake that you can bake at home.

One of my favorite recipes for a delicious made-at-home cheesecake is this triple chocolate cheesecake. It has an Oreo cookie crust and a milk chocolate cheesecake base. The topper, a smooth rich dark chocolate ganache.

Pretty petite chocolate shavings are easy to make and top these cute mini cheesecakes. A bit of a crunch is offered from the Oreo cookie base.

Then, you have the creamy cheesecake itself. The topping is a smooth, intense but sweet dark chocolate ganache, made by you. The garnish of the twirls of shaved chocolate add even more of that restaurant-style presentation.

This recipe serves four people. If you are at home for Valentine’s Day, it will be perfect for a family of four. You can also cut the recipe in half for two people.

These mini triple chocolate cheesecakes are a cute show-stopper to any special occasion dinner. Creamy, decadent and with layers of chocolate flavors, this cheesecake is simply wonderful.

Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes

Oreo Cookie Crust

10 regular-sized Oreo cookies; centers, too (4 ounces)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Process your Oreo cookies, to crush them evenly. Pour the crumbs into a bowl. Add the melted unsalted butter into the chocolate crumbs and mix. Divide the crumbs evenly to fill your 4 cheesecake pans. Pack down each crust in an even layer into each buttered mini cheesecake mold. Bake your crusts for 5-8 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside to cool.

Cheesecake Filling

Two 8-ounce packages of Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, room temperature

3 ounces milk chocolate

2 large eggs, room temperature

¼ cup of heavy cream

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the bottom and sides of each cheesecake mold with aluminum foil, in prep for the baking water bath. Make sure there are no holes in the foil where any water can seep into the cheesecakes.

In a small bowl, place in your chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave this mixture for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching. The chocolate should start to melt and the cream would be very hot. Add in the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Set this chocolate mixture aside to cool while you make your cheesecake batter.

In the bowl of your stand-up mixer, add in your cream cheese. On medium speed, mix your cream cheese with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix until the sugar is well incorporated.

Next, add in the eggs one at time and mix until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed to prevent lumps. While still on medium speed, add in your chocolate mixture and your pure vanilla extract.

Divide the batter evenly between the 4 molds. Place your cheesecakes into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Being very careful not to get water on your cheesecakes, pour in very hot water into the bottom of your baking dish. Add enough water to come up the sides of the cheesecakes by half.

Bake the cheesecakes for about 45-50 minutes until a tested cheesecake slightly jiggles in the center. With the oven turned off and the door slightly ajar, leave the cheesecakes in the oven turned OFF for 30 minutes. Remove the pan and take the mini cheesecakes out of the water bath and remove the foil. Allow them to cool for 1 hour. Cover each mini cheesecake with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator overnight to two days prior to serving.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Topping

2 ounces of dark chocolate

2 ounces of heavy cream

Milk chocolate, for garnish

Heat your chocolate. Pour in the heavy cream and mix. Spread over the top of your completely chilled mini cheesecakes. Garnish each cheesecake with shaved milk chocolate.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef at Ateira’s on First and has her own blog simplysarah.online. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.