Mini Orange & Chocolate Cheesecakes

Being hooked on food network, I came across  an episode where Giada De Laurentiis made these cute tiny sweet goodness. I happen to love cheese cake and am always looking for an opportunity to have some. This recipe has two of my favorite flavors (orange and chocolate) so I decided to give it a shot and my family loved them. It is the prefect bite size treat for a kids party as well as bite size dessert for a dessert party that won't make your guest feel guilty! The original recipe is made with eggs, but I used an egg substitute which worked great.

This recipe will make 12 mini cheesecake

Ingredient:

• 1/3 cup finely crushed chocolate wafers
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 egg (I used the substitute)
• Butter, for greasing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.
3. In a food processor, combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg (egg substitute box will say how much is required per egg). Blend until smooth. 
4. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. 
5. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. 
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. 
7. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
8. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.
9. Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.