Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

Warning: You might be in the mood for some individual-sized cheesecakes after reading this post.  This recipe is super easy to follow and it's one of those things that'll make you look like a fantastic baker even though it's so easy to make.

This recipe comes from my beloved Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, but I could not locate this specific recipe on MarthaStewart.com.  If you find this recipe there, please let me know so I can provide the correct link.

My only beef with this recipe is it calls for 42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and the standard bag of Oreos only contains 39 cookies.  I hate when that happens! The hubs quickly pointed out that perhaps Nabisco reduced the amount of Oreos they put in their standard package since Martha's book was published, but I just think it's a ploy to make you buy two packages of Oreos. Let's be honest, there are times when you can go generic brand and there are times you can't and when it comes to Oreos I don't think you can go off brand.

Ingredients: Yield 30 cupcakes

• 42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt (I skipped this) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Yes, you read that right! I was surprised too by the low baking temperature.  Plop 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each standard muffin liner and place in muffin pan.        
2. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add sugar and beat with the cream cheese until combined.  Beat in vanilla.
3. Slowly add eggs, roughly one at a time (remember they should have been lightly beaten prior to adding to your sugary, cream cheese mixture).  Beat in sour cream and salt.  Stir in chopped cookies by hand. 
4. Divide bater evenly among your cookie-filled cups and fill each almost to the top (these cupcakes don't rise so don't follow the standard "fill up 3/4 of the way").  Bake your cupcakes for roughly 22 minutes.  Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate (suggested in tins, but I didn't have enough tins to do that and mine survived in a 13 x 9 cake pan) at least 4 hours.  Remove from tins just before serving. 

Funniest thing happened Monday morning when I gave the hubs a small tray of these to take to work he stalled and said, "there's more of these here for me, right?" Yes, dude, there's more in the fridge for you. Gesh, I just wanted him to take a few to his coworkers who ran the Baltimore Half Marathon and Marathon. Be a team player dude!