I posted some images of cheesecake pops on my own blog (the hwtm daily blog) earlier this year, and the reaction was phenomenal! It seems that between about the yummy factor of cheesecake + the cuteness factor of desserts on sticks, these little treats are hard to resist – and an adorable idea for special ocassions like bridal showers, baby showers & weddings. Want to make some of these at home? Here’s a great recipe from the fabulous Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey dessert book by Jill O’Connor. {And below the recipe…you’ll find links to 4 more tempting cheesecake-inspired recipes!)

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Cheesecake Pops
by Jill O’Connor

INGREDIENTS:

Crust
21/2 cups fine chocolate wafer cookie crumbs made from store-bought cookies
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
Or
TKO cookie crumbs

Filling
Three (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

For the Crust:
If using chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, in a medium bowl, stir together the crumbs and melted butter. The TKO crumbs do not need additional butter. Press the crumbs into the bottom and at least halfway up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375º. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 350º.

For the Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt on medium speed about 1 minute, or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and beat for 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix for an additional 2 minutes, or until the batter is smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl and paddles as necessary. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate.

Pour the batter into the crust. Spread it evenly with a small offset spatula, then mound it slightly higher in the center. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until lightly browned and set. There may be a few cracks around the edges. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon, and let the cake rest in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to chill and firm or preferably overnight.

Run a palette knife or icing spatula around the edge of the pan, remove the springform ring, and carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. (If your want to remove the springform bottom from the cheesecake, run the spatula carefully between the crust and the bottom of the pan.)

The cheesecake can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.

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Still craving cheesecake? How about trying one of these rich & yummy ideas…

1. Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake
{via Hostess with the Mostess}

2. Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie (YUM!)
{via Everyday with Rachael Ray}

3. Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
{via Everyday with Rachael Ray}

4. Italian Cheesecake
{via Everyday with Rachael Ray}

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Do you know of any especially great cheesecake-focused recipes? Please share them with us in the comments area here!

Cheers,
Jennifer Sbranti
www.hostesswiththemostess.com

P.S. It will probably be a while before I’m able to post here at GlamDish again… but in the meantime you can always find me (and some wonderful guest bloggers!) over at hostessblog.com and hostesswiththemostess.com along with new food and entertaining-related content posted daily. I hope you’ll come visit!

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