Monday Morning Mocha ‘n Chocolate Cheesecakes

  I have been productive lately. That means a lot of productibaking, which means wading through a really, really big pile of reading. Check.

I also have another photo-story for all of you. Did you see my last one for the very best chewy Biscoff blondies? I don’t have too much time these days to write, but I still want to share my stories with all of you.

I don’t drink coffee or mocha, but I love coffee-flavored anything. And since caffeine and productivity are the order of the day, these mocha ‘n chocolate cheesecakes were born–perfect for your Monday morning. Or Tuesday. Or every any day of the week, really.

I hope you all enjoy, pin, share, and love these quaint coffee banners!  These creamy mini cheesecake smell like you’re sitting in the middle of your favorite hipster cafe with a cuppa fresh brew–you won’t even know the difference.

Which coffee saying describes you best?  (I’m definitely feeling the “productivity” one right now!)

OR What do you wake up to in the morning?

Don’t forget to pin/share/print/like! 🙂

Monday Morning Mocha ‘n Chocolate Cheesecakes

Yield: 12 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon Kahlua (or other coffee-flavored liqueur, or espresso or strong brewed coffee)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons instant coffee granules, divided and finely crushed
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and white sugar until nice and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine Kahlua and vanilla. Mix in 2 tablespoons coffee granules and stir until dissolved.
4. Add Kahlua mixture, egg, and remaining finely-crushed coffee granules to cream cheese mixture. Beat in until completely smooth.
5. Divide cheesecake batter equally between 12 tins.
6. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips at 20-second intervals, stirring rapidly between each interval until chocolate is melted and smooth. (Be careful not to overheat your chocolate–you will want to remove the bowl from microwave and stir when the chocolate is just beginning to turn melty.) Pour a dollop of chocolate into each filled cheesecake tin and swirl using a toothpick.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until just set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to fridge. Allow to chill in fridge for at least one hour–or you can let it sit overnight and wake up the next morning to a perfectly “brewed” Monday morn mocha cheesecake!