Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

These mini chocolate chip cheesecakes are the lunchbox-sized lovechild of a chocolate cupcake and a classic New York cheesecake. Dark chocolate cake batter goes in the bottom of the mini muffin cups, then a little spoon of sweetened cream cheese drops in the center, and mini chocolate chips weave through both layers. They bake up moist, dense, and slightly fudgy, with a creamy white island in the middle of each one.

These are actually classic Black Bottom Cupcakes, a recipe that’s been making the rounds at church potlucks and bake sales since the 1970s. The chocolate layer uses vinegar-cake chemistry (vegetable oil instead of butter, baking soda, water) which keeps them extraordinarily moist for days without drying out.

Because there’s no butter in the chocolate batter, these travel beautifully and stay soft at room temperature. That’s exactly why they became such a potluck staple.

Fill each mini muffin cup two-thirds full; overfilling sends the cream cheese running over the edges as everything puffs in the oven.

Pro Tips

• Use full-fat brick cream cheese, not whipped or spreadable; the higher-water versions split during baking and turn watery.
• Beat the cream cheese, egg, and sugar until completely smooth; any lumps will stay lumpy after baking.
• Let the cakes cool completely in the pan before removing; the chocolate cake is fragile when hot.
• Paper liners make cleanup easy and help the cakes slip out intact.

Variations

• Swap mini chocolate chips for butterscotch or peanut butter chips for a different sweet-salty twist.
• Add a splash of almond extract to the cream cheese layer for a subtle marzipan note.
• Top each baked cake with a dollop of raspberry jam or a single fresh raspberry for color and tang.