Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups (150g) Chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
  • 3 tbsp (42g) Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 16 oz (450g) Full fat cream cheese, softened
  • 0.5 cup (100g) Granulated sugar
  • 4 oz (113g) Dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled
  • 0.25 cup (25g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp (5ml) Pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup (120ml) Heavy whipping cream, chilled (for filling)
  • 12 large Fresh strawberries, hulled and dried
  • 1 cup (240ml) Heavy whipping cream (for beard)
  • 2 tbsp (15g) Powdered sugar
  • 12 Mini white chocolate chips
  • 12 Pink chocolate candies

Instructions:

  1. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Combine cookie crumbs, salt, and melted butter until it resembles wet sand.
  2. Press 1.5 tablespoons of the crust mixture into the bottom of each liner, packing firmly. Freeze for 15 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar until aerated and smooth. Sift in the cocoa powder and add vanilla.
  4. Gradually fold in the melted chocolate and the first 0.5 cup of chilled heavy whipping cream until the mixture is thick and mahogany-colored.
  5. Divide the filling among the muffin liners and smooth the tops. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set the fat matrix.
  6. For the assembly, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe a 'beard' onto each chilled cheesecake.
  7. Top with a strawberry 'hat', a white chocolate chip 'pom-pom', and a pink candy 'nose' to complete the gnomes.