Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Oreo cheesecake holds a very special place in my heart.  Our groom's cake at our wedding was not just cheesecake, but oreo cheesecake.

And since I love reliving our wedding day, I'll share a picture.  This is the Ramblin' Wreck, which is sort of a second mascot for Georgia Tech, behind Buzz.  It is driven onto the field at the start of every home game.  Not only did we have a replica of the Wreck for the groom's cake, but we also used the real thing as our getaway car from the reception.  Driving through the streets of downtown Atlanta in the Wreck was one of the most fun experiences ever.

Anyway, many of our guests still comment on the cake.  I have to admit that even though our wedding cake was drop-dead gorgeous, this cake definitely upstaged it.  It was not only incredibly detailed and ornate, but come on - it was oreo cheesecake!  And the entire cake was demolished within 10 minutes.  I'm glad I got a bite of it when we cut into it, otherwise I would have been out of luck!

So when I came across these cute little mini cheesecakes in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, I knew that Joey would love them.  And of course he did - and so has everyone else who tried them!  I've actually made these cupcakes several times, though I'm just now getting around to sharing them on the blog.  They are so so simple.  A whole oreo is used for the crust, so no crushing cookies, pressing crusts, prebaking, etc.  And the filling comes together in less than 5 minutes.  It is super simple, and only a few ingredients - cream cheese, cookies, sour cream (though I used Greek yogurt last time I made these with no problem), eggs, and vanilla.  They do require a bit of preplanning, since they need to chill for a few hours before serving, but I'd say the hard part is actually waiting for them to chill before digging in!

Since (obviously) I look back on our wedding day with fond memories, every time I make these cupcakes I'm reminded of not only of such a wonderful day, but also of our incredibly awesome cake!


Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
makes 30 cupcakes

• 42 Oreos - 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners, and place 1 Oreo in the bottom of each cup.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Gradually add the sugar, and beat until smooth.  Beat in the vanilla, then drizzle in the eggs.  When well combined, mix in the sour cream and salt.  Stir in the chopped cookies by hand.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each one almost to the top.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until the filling is just set, about 22 minutes.

Transfer the tins to wire racks to cool completely, then refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours.  Remove from tins just before serving.