Dark Chocolate Créme Fraîche Pretzel Crust Mini Cheesecake

Who likes chocolate covered pretzels? I do, I do! Who wouldn't? I love salty, sweet concoctions. These dark chocolate cheesecakes are seriously scrumptious. And the hubs said it reminded him of chocolate covered pretzels! And it does, but its much more rich and decadent. When it comes to chocolaty desserts, I can't resist. Perfect for a bridal or baby shower, birthday celebrations or even afternoon tea, these little treats are delicious and easy to make.

The last time I used my mini cheesecake pan was for the Peanut Butter Créme Fraîche Pretzel Crust Mini Cheesecake. And those of you who remember the story behind what happened are probably wondering what went wrong. Well, I still have no clue. Perhaps it was the amount of butter used in my pretzel crust. So, I decided to tweak this recipe and you know what. No dense fog! woohoo.

I also wanted to explain that you really don't need the mini cheesecake pan. You can simply use your muffin pan with cupcake liners. I'm just a dork that loves all things mini and pretty.

Cheesecake Batter

12 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese

8 oz Créme Fraîche

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Half & Half

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Dark Chocolate (melt on low heat with 2 tbsp heavy cream, stirring often until completely melted) 

2 Tbsp Sifted Cocoa Powder

Pretzel Crust

1-1/2 Cups Pretzel Crumbs 

6 tbsp Unsalted Butter (melted & cooled)

4 tbsp Sugar

1. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the cream cheese, créme fraîche and sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, vanilla, sifted cocoa powder and the dark chocolate sauce and mix well until smooth. 

2. In a measuring cup, combine the pretzel crumbs, butter, sugar and mix until blended well.

3. Prepare your mini cheesecake pan and place the removable disks to each cheesecake form or muffin pan with liners. Place about 1 tbsp of the pretzel crumb in each form and press down with a spoon evenly.

4. Place a spoonful (almost to the top but not quite) of the cheesecake batter on top of the pretzel crust and bake at 325º degrees until filing is set. 15-18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least an hour (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) otherwise your cheesecake will not form completely.

5. Remove cheesecakes by pushing up the bottoms of each mini cheesecake form carefully and serve! I added dark chocolate chips to the tops of the cheesecakes.

Okay, this is before the cheesecakes went into the fridge. And can someone please tell me why the above photo is odd? Why did only the corner mini cheesecakes collapse in the middle? I have no clue. Mysterious, I must say. If anyone knows the answer to this oddity please drop me a note. Thanks!

You really need to try these. They're fabulous. These chocolaty, creamy and heavenly cheesecakes are irresistible. Happy baking my friends!