Cheesecake Cups

Directions

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   1. Line 24 muffins cups with paper liners; set aside. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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   2. Prepare the crusts by whisking together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl until blended.
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   3. Place butter in a medium bowl, and microwave for 1 minute on 70% power, or until melted. (Use your best judgment, depending on the power of your microwave.)
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   4. Dump both sugars into the bowl of melted butter, along with the vanilla extract and an egg. Whisk the wet ingredients until well combined.
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   5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
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   6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
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   7. Use a small scoop to portion rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into the liners of the muffin cups.
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   8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies have spread, are very lightly browned around the edges and mostly set in the middle. Be careful not to over bake the cookie crust. Remove from the oven.
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   9. While the cookie crusts are baking, make the filling by using an electric mixer to beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth.
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    10. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk, and continue to mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Filling will be very thin.
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    11. Once the cookie crusts are done baking, portion the filling with a large scoop, pouring the filling over the crusts in the cups. Each cup should hold about 3 tablespoons of filling, making cups 3/4 full.
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    12. Bake for another 16-18 minutes, or until cheesecake cups are set, but not browned.
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    13. Cool cheesecake cups completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
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    14. Once cool, refrigerate cheesecake cups for at least one hour, or overnight.
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    15. Serve cheesecake cups plain or topped with fresh berries, or a teaspoon of jam, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
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    16. Store leftover cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (Or freeze for up to 1 month.)