Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites with Chocolate Chips

Oh hello, October! You snuck up so suddenly, I didn’t realize we’re already into the last quarter of the year! Really, where did the time go?!

It’s already been 2 months since our Canada vacation, and I still haven’t blogged even half of it. Augh! Yup, bad blogger here, I know. Sorry! I’ve just been really busy with so many things lately. Even though we had a long weekend because of the Eid holidays, we always had something to do or somewhere to go to during those 4 days. Even this weekend, we’re busy; but a good kind of busy, though, because I’ll be able to relax and spend quality time with my family in another emirate nearby.

Anyway, I noticed it’s been a while since I shared a recipe of something I baked in the kitchen, so here’s one from Sally’s Baking Addiction I tried last week. If you love red velvet, cheesecakes, and chocolate chips, I guarantee you’ll definitely love this!

Ingredients for the Red Velvet Cookie Layer
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring

Ingredients for the Cheesecake Layer
336g cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
2 tablespoons yoghurt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line mini muffin pans with mini cupcake liners. Set aside.
• Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
• Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the butter and mix until combined.
• Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Beat in the food coloring.
• Add the flour mixture (from earlier) to the wet ingredients, and mix all together.  You will end up with a sticky dough mixture.
• Place a teaspoonful of dough onto each mini cupcake liner, and use your finger to flatten it a bit (but not too much!) at the bottom.
• Bake each batch for 4 minutes to harden the crust.
• To make the cheesecake layer, beat the cream cheese until it is completely smooth.
• Beat in the yoghurt and sugar.
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
• Add the chocolate chips and fold gently
• Place a teaspoonful of the cheesecake batter on top of the pre-baked red velvet cookie, making sure to spread it to cover the entire cookie.
• Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cool for half an hour, then chill in the fridge for 1.5 hours.
• Enjoy! ☺

You can bake these in regular cupcake sizes (which is what the original recipe did), but the ones I made were just right for my little girls and our friends who came over. There were plenty to go around, and it kept them going back to the dining table for more and more!