Twix Cheesecake Bites

These are seriously decadent crowd-pleasers. I’ve made them twice for two group gatherings of different sizes – we’re talking at least 15 people, and they get snapped up quite nicely (the latter actually had 30-odd people!) They need a little bit of pre-planning and forethought, though; because making them is a two-stage process that includes baking and overnight chilling (or at least 6 hours if you make them in the morning for a dinner treat); but they’re very well worth the wait so they’ll make a great do-ahead dessert.

I used Philadelphia Light to make these cakes; but any mild-flavored cream cheese will do - it can even be supermarket own brand cheese! You can use brown or caster sugar for these cheesecakes – personally I prefer using soft dark brown sugar, because you’ll get a lovely rich color that visually complements how indulgent these are.

If you opt for caster sugar, you’ll get a lovely contrast between the very pale cheesecake batter and the dark pieces of Twix. Taste-wise the difference is so mild; so your choice of sugar just boils down to what your visual preferences are.

Also, if you really want to cut a few corners, use Sainsbury’s own brand chocolate toffee biscuit fingers as dupes for Twix.

Crust: – 20 Oreos (a typical 154g package contains about 14) – 50g unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake batter: – 450g cream cheese, softened (leave it out at room temp for 1-2 hours before using.) – 100g caster/brown sugar – 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract – 2 large eggs, lightly beaten – 125ml sour cream – 12 mini/fun size Twix bars

Preheat oven to 135°C. Prepare either a 12-hole muffin case (line it with paper cases) or a square/rectangular baking tin/brownie tray lined with greaseproof paper (I had a 10”x7” one.) Either chuck the Oreos in a food bag and bash into fine crumbs with a rolling pin, or do the same thing to them in a food processor. Mix in the melted butter thoroughly until it all comes together. If you’re using the 12-hole muffin case, divvy up the cookie crumbs between the 12 paper cases and press down with your fingers. Otherwise, chuck all the crumbs on the lined baking tin/brownie tray and press down with the back of a spoon/your hands.

That’s your base(s) done – set it aside (you could even pop it in the fridge for a little while) while you work on the batter.

Tip your cream cheese in a mixing bowl and get out your torture implement – I mean, mixer of choice. You can use a hand/stand mixer or a bog standard wire whisk; I opt for the latter because the workout keeps bingo wings from forming (girls, take heed!) Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth, then slowly beat in your sugar.

Thoroughly mix in the vanilla, and beat in the already-lightly-beaten eggs (at low speed if using electric beaters.) Then add in your sour cream and mix until fully incorporated. Batter consistency should be somewhere in between single and double cream.

Set the bowl aside and get your Twix/biscuit fingers into small chunks – I usually chop it in half lengthways, then proceed to chop as normal in the other direction. Chuck the chunks into the bowl of cheesecake batter and fold them in well.

Pour the whole lot into the baking tin/brownie tray and smooth out; or if using the muffin tray, use an ice-cream scoop to divvy up the batter into the cases.

Bake the lot for 30-40 minutes at 135°C (if using the muffin tray); or for 45-50 minutes if you’re using an oblong/square tin. They’re done baking when they still wobble a lil’ bit in the center. Let cool, and then pop them in the fridge overnight/for at least six hours.

After chilling, take them out and cut them up using a knife moistened with hot water. I get about 24 bite-sized pieces or 12 round cakes; this may vary depending on your tin and how you cut them.