Vegan Chocolate Oreo Cheesecakes

Oreos! Cheesecake! Let's combine both kingpins of dessert-y deliciousness into a pudding. And let's make it a vegan pudding...

These impressively easy vegan cheesecakes taste fabulously indulgent and are virtually indistinguishable from their non-vegan counterparts. Make a batch and chill a few hours ahead of serving to give them time to firm up. They keep beautifully in the fridge for a few days, so if you want to get baking a few days in advance you can save yourself some work on dinner party day!

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

300g vegan soft cheese

3 tbs cornflour

180g caster sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

180g dairy-free plain yoghurt

90g dark chocolate (check ingredient list to make sure it is dairy-free)

3 tbs luke warm water

20 Oreo biscuits (you will need two standard size packs)

20g dairy-free butter

Equipment

large mixing bowl

whisk

measuring spoons

silicone-headed spatula

Tala Performance 12 cup bun tin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius fan (325 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. In the large mixing bowl, mix the soft cheese, yoghurt, cornflour, sugar and vanilla until smooth – a whisk does the job nicely.
3. Melt the chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl over a pan of boiling water or on low power in the microwave.
4. Add the lukewarm water to the chocolate and mix to a loose flowing consistency.
5. Whisk the chocolate sauce into the cheesecake mixture and set aside for a moment.
6. Count out 12 whole oreos and set them aside for later. Take another 8 oreos and pulverise into crumbs (either in a food processor or place inside a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin).
7. Melt the dairy-free butter, pour onto the oreo crumbs and stir to combine.
8. Place the cupcakes cases into the bun tin and divide the buttered oreo crumbs equally between all of the cases. Pack them down with a spoon.
9. Using a ladle, spoon the cheesecake mixture into the muffin cases, trying to fill them as equally as you can. Use a silicone-headed spatula to ensure every last drop of mixture is used up!
10. Top each mini cheesecake with a whole oreo and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cupcakes should jiggle slightly, but they will set properly when cooled.
11. Remove from the oven and allow the tin to cool on the side before transferring to the fridge (still in the tin, but loosely covered with clingfilm).
12. When it comes to pudding time, simply peel off the muffin cases and serve.

Tips:

Check your dark chocolate is dairy-free! The better quality chocolate is usually dairy free, but it is worth checking just to be sure.

I have chosen a coconut and soya based vegan soft cheese called Sheese, which I find works exceptionally well in cheesecakes.

For the yoghurt, I used Alpro and for the dairy-free butter I used Naturli.