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Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). You will need a 12 cup cupcake (muffin) pan. Line each cup with a paper liner.

Crust: In a bowl, combine the Graham Cracker Crumbs (or crushed Digestive Biscuits) and melted butter. (Can also do this step in a food processor.) Press a heaping tablespoon (about 13 grams) of crumbs onto the bottom of each cup. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Cheesecake Filling: Melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside to cool while you make the batter.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract, on low speed, until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Finally, add the sour cream and beat just until incorporated. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly place the filling into the 12 cups.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for one hour (up to overnight), or until firm, before covering with the Chocolate Ganache.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and butter just to a boil, in a small saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave). Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool, at room temperature, until of spreading consistency, and then pour a heaping tablespoon (about 20 grams) of the Chocolate Ganache on top of each cheesecake. Spread evenly with an offset spatula or back of a spoon. If desired, garnish with grated chocolate or chocolate shavings. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours before servings.

To serve, gently peel off the paper liners and place on your serving plate. These cheesecakes can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. They can also be frozen for about two months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Makes 12 Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes.

These Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes are wonderfully rich and creamy with a deep chocolate flavor. They have three layers, starting with a sandy textured Graham Cracker Crust. Next, is the chocolate cheesecake filling which folds melted chocolate into a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and sour cream. The taste and texture remind me of a thick and creamy chocolate mousse. The finishing touch is to top each cheesecake with a shiny layer of Chocolate Ganache.

A few notes on ingredients. For the Graham Cracker Crust you can substitute the Graham Crackers with Crushed Digestive Biscuits as they have a similar texture and taste.

The chocolate flavor of both the cheesecake filling and the Ganache are dependent on both the type (semi sweet or bittersweet) and brand of chocolate you use. So make sure you use a good quality semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate that you enjoy eating out of hand. In this recipe I like to use a semi sweet chocolate with a 60% cocoa content.

Once the cheesecakes are baked and cooled, they need to be chilled until firm (at least an hour or up to overnight) before covering with the Chocolate Ganache. Chocolate Ganache is simply a mixture of semi sweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, heavy whipping cream, and a little butter. Once you top the cheesecakes with the Ganache, if there is any leftover Ganache, I use it to make Chocolate Truffles. To make Truffles, just chill the Ganache until firm, form into small balls, then roll the Truffles in unsweetened cocoa powder or chopped nuts. They are delicious on their own or you can use them to decorate the cheesecakes.