double dose of decadence

Just a mere four days ago I had never in my life even attempted to make a cheesecake.  Now, I've made three batches of two different types of cheesecake!  I'm addicted and I don't even eat them!  I remade the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake cupcakes (we just call is Kahlua cheesecake) today, with the right ingredients.
As I said last time, I didn't have the espresso powder.  Well, this time I couldn't find the espresso powder either...my husband and I looked ALL up and down the coffee isle in Wal-Mart and couldn't find any.  I looked online and it said you could find it in specialty stores and such...boo, that's not Wal-Mart.  However, it did also tell me that I could substitute the espresso powder for dark ground coffee.  Though, don't do like I did the first time and pour the coffee grounds in, add boiling water to it.  I had my husband brew some of his coffee and I just took some before he poured his cup.  Perfect!  Once again, I halved the recipe and it worked wonderfully.  My husband and co-workers approve!

 I wanted to share with you the second batch of cheesecake cupcakes I made today.  They are cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes, made with Oreos.  My best friends sister-in-law made these for her birthday one year and I thought they were so clever.  I got the recipe from her and whipped up a batch.  I am going to give you the whole recipe which makes 30 cupcakes.  Holy Cow!  I do not need that many cupcakes.  I halved the recipe and it worked just fine.

What you need:

42 Oreos - 30 are needed to be left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temp (4 packs of 8 oz cream cheese)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs room temp, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt
Cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Electric mixer

What to do:
Preheat Oven to 275, line muffin pans with liners.  Using plain white ones it best, you will be able to see the Oreo through the paper.
Place one whole cookie in the bottom of each cup.
With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined, beat in vanilla.
Drizzle in the eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Beat in sour cream and salt.
Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Divide the batter into the cups, filling each almost to the top.  I used my ice cream scoop to fill it up and it was just the right amount.  (Remember they won't rise like normal muffins.)
Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes.
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely.
Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Remove from the muffin tins before serving.

My husband was quite fond of this sweet little treat.  Try it out, or use the simple cheesecake recipe I shared with you and make your own unique flavor or a few!  When you make the cheesecakes in cupcake tins you not only promote portion control you can make many different flavors.