No Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecakes

 

No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecakes

Yield: makes 6 (4-ounce jar) cheesecakes
Total Time: 2-4 hours

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 oreos
1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
6 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
whipped cream for topping
fresh mint for garnish
ganache
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

Add oreos to a food processor, blender or simply crush them in a bag with a rolling pin - and blend until you get crumbs. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and oreo crumbs until wet. Press a few teaspoons of the mixture into the bottom of each jar or glass, pressing down with the bottom of a thicker object (like I used an ice cream scoop) to flatten them out. Refrigerate while you make the cheesecake.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, add beat cream cheese, mascarpone and strawberries (and their juice) until combined and smooth, scraping down the sides when needed. Make sure the strawberries are pretty blender, but if a few lumps remain, it's fine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in the condensed milk, continuing to scrape down the sides until the mixture is very smooth. Add in vanilla extract and mix one more time to combine. Pour cheesecake mixture evenly over top of crusts. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Heat the heavy cream until warm, then pour over the milk chocolate, stirring until melted to make a ganache. Remove the cheesecakes from the fridge and spoon an equal amount of the ganache over top of the strawberry cheesecake. Refrigerate for another 30-60 minutes. Serve with whipped cream on top and a garnish of mint, plus a chocolate covered strawberry if desired.