Mini Samoa Cheesecakes

This dessert is a combination of two of my favorite recipes: Mini Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes and Samoa Cheesecake. They are a little messy so I suggest eating them with a fork, as opposed to like a cupcake, but they taste heavenly! See the hybrid recipe I used below.

{mini cheesecakes baked to perfection: the center is set but still jiggles slightly}

{golden brown toasted coconut}

{Oreo cookie crust}

{Mini Samoa Cheesecakes topped with toasted coconut, 

caramel & chocolate drizzle with an Oreo cookie crust}

Ingredients:

{Cheesecake}

24 Oreo cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

3 (8-oz) bricks of cream cheese, softened

1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

{Samoa Topping}

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1 3/4 cups caramel sauce

chocolate syrup for drizzle

Directions:

{Cheesecake}

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Place one whole Oreo Cookie in the bottom of each cup.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth.

Add sugar and beat for an additional minute until well blended.

Add Greek yogurt and vanilla, and beat for an additional minute, stopping halfway to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Do not overbeat!

Divide batter evenly into each cup, filling almost to the top.

Bake and rotate muffin tins halfway through, until the filling is set - about 22-28 minutes.

Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

{Samoa Topping}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the coconut out in a an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 6 minutes or until top layer of coconut is toasted and lightly golden, then remove the tray and stir the coconut.

Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until new layer of coconut is lightly golden. (I used the broiler but make sure to keep a close eye so that the coconut does not burn!)

Remove the pan, and pour coconut into a mixing bowl.

Add 1 cup of caramel to the coconut and stir to combine.

Using a spoon, top each mini cheesecake with a layer of caramel.

Then top with the caramel/coconut mixture and press it down until the top of the cheesecake is covered.

Drizzle chocolate syrup and caramel sauce on each cheesecake.

Enjoy!