If there’s one time of year you can treat yourself to some decedent desserts, it’s Christmas! Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites are the perfect Christmas dessert for the young and old alike – delicious and festively fun too!
Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites – You’ll need:
- 18 Oreos finely crushed to about 1 3/4 cups
- 2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted and divided
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 25 fairly small, fresh strawberries
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 165°C. Line a medium sized baking dish with a large sheet of tinfoil. Brush foil with 1/2 tbsp melted butter. In a mixing bowl, using a fork blend together crushed Oreos and 2 tbsp melted butter until mixture is well combined and evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl blend together cream cheese and granulated sugar until mixture is smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended. In a separate microwave safe bowl, heat white chocolate chips with 1/3 cup heavy cream on half power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture and mix until combined. Pour mixture over prepared crust in baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes then turn oven off and without opening oven door allow cheesecake to rest in warm oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or refrigerate for 6 hours. Once cheesecake is fully chilled and set, remove from freezer or refrigerator cut into squares. In a mixing bowl whip remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form, then add powdered sugar and mix until stiff peaks form.
To assemble, cut a flat top off of each strawberry and lay flat side down over top of cheesecake. Fill a pastry bag (or Ziploc bag and cut a small tip of corner) with sweetened whipped cream and pipe around strawberry then finish with a small amount over the top of the “hat”. Serve immediately.
For more creative Christmas cooking ideas check out our Pinterest page!