Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Special Single Servings

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (119)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(119)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 35 min
Inactive Prep: 25 min
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 1 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1/3 cup finely crushed chocolate wafers
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 orange, zested
1 egg
Butter, for greasing

Directions

Special equipment: mini muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg. Blend until smooth. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.

Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
null null, null 11-11-2009
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Very average one
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

Have tired so many of Giada's receipes. This one is so so. I read some reviews here and sprayed the tin with PAM. But still... the chocolate crust didnt come off. It got stuck and somehow i could'nt retain the shape. Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Iuliana Berkeley, CA 11-07-2009
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Great desert
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Easy to made and great taste. I didn't add the sugar at all, since I don't like the desert to be too sweet (the ricotta and... the cream cheese are already sweet enough for me). Great idea if you have people coming in..... it tastes great, looks great and the preparation part takes about 15 min. I agree with somebody who suggested grated chocolate on top. I used some very dry chocolate cookies, around 1/2 cup of them, but the same butter quantity. The crust is already all buttery, so no need for greasing there. Before adding the cheese I just used the cooking spray instead of butter. They came out perfectly.Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
cathy henrico, VA 11-05-2009
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Excellent!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was the second time I saw you make these and they look so danty that I decided to try it out. I couldn't find chocolate... wafers so I used chocolate graham crackers. They came out so tasty. I had a little trouble getting them out the pan, but that didn't take away from the taste. My 17 year old son ate 7 alone. Thanks Giada!Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Meagan Wallingford, CT 11-05-2009
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excellent cheesecake
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

these came out pretty good. If you use actually mini muffin tins, they'll make more than what Giada says. The orange was a... little too much, so I substituted lemon for the orange zest, and i used less of the sugar mixture on top. I tried to get them out of the pans, and the crust stuck to the pan. Next time I'm going to freeze them first. Incidentally, did anyone else notice the recipe doesn't say to grease the pan until AFTER the crust is in, and then it only tells you to grease the sides!Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Carolyn College Station, TX 11-04-2009
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For the orange lovers!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I thought these were very easy to make. I did not have to change the recipe at all and they came out just like Giada's in... look and I'm going to assume in taste as well. The one tip I did use was after letting the sheet cool for 30 minutes, I put it in the freezer just for about 15-20 minutes. I then used a butter knife to slide all the way around the edge and they popped right out. Now a small tip just from me, I thought for the size of this dessert, that the extra orange zest and sugar on top is just a little too strong on the orange flavor. For those who LOVE orange, this may be the perfect topping for you. For those who like a good orange and chocolate combo with out being overpowered by orange, I would omit this extra topping. Next time I make these I will take some semi-sweet chocolate and grate just a little over the top to give a little more chocolate to the recipe but also for presentation. All in all, a good and easy recipe and definitely different from the normal things I make. I will make these again and again.Read more
recipe Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
Mrs League City, TX 10-29-2009
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Yummy!!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Good flavor and texture, my only suggestion is to bake the crust separately for approximately 5 to 10 minutes as it helps it... to hold together better.Read more