Rainbow Mini Cheesecakes

By srumbel

In a few simple steps you took a normal mini cheesecake and turned it into something extraordinary with some food coloring and a rainbow-chip chocolate chip cookie as the delicious crust. These cheesecakes not only impress in their brightness and wow-factor, but in their delicious, creamy taste and that awesome cookie base. Engage the kids and have them help layer the colors in the muffin tins or tint the batter. And consider other holiday color options, too, like pastels for Easter, ombre pinks for Mother’s Day, red, white and blue for the 4th or green, orange, black and purple for Halloween. SO simple!!

from thedomesticrebel.com

Ingredients

• 12 Chips Ahoy Rainbow Chip Cookies
• 3 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• Wilton gel food coloring in No-Taste Red, Lemon Yellow, Kelly Green, Royal Blue, Violet

Preparation

Step 1

Rainbow Mini Cheesecakes
February 25, 2013 Comments: 7


Not too long ago, I was petrified of scary movies.

Now, I suppose part of growing up is enjoying coffee after years of questioning why adults liked a hot, dark drink that tasted like death, and ultimately, enjoying scary movies. Respectively, of course, because I’m not grown up enough to enjoy coffee while watching a scary movie — too much responsibility, methinks.

Anyway, as a kid I was obviously spooked, yet I remember going over to my friend’s house for a sleepover one night and Leprechaun was on TV. We were trying so hard not to watch it, but being curious children we couldn’t not watch a movie on TV about a sadistic mythical creature.

And let me tell you.. it was the scariest thing EVER.

I remember the intense need to avoid Lucky Charms at all costs. And really disliking Saint Patrick’s Day even more than I already did. How come you are forced to wear green? What if I don’t want to wear green? Then I’m subjected to juvenile assault by pinching? Um, no thank you. I already have enough OCD problems as it is deciding what to wear each day. Throwing required colors for certain days just throws a wrench in my entire psyche.

And on top of forcibly needing to wear green, there was a frightening man after me lucky charms.

But now that I’m older, I see that Saint Patrick’s Day isn’t about a creepy troll man or Lucky Charms or wearing green. It’s about drinking beer. And eating cheesecake. I love being a grown up!

Okay, so I don’t really think drinking beer or eating cheesecake are exclusive St. Patty’s Day traditions, but hello, they totally should be. Especially rainbow cheesecake because it’s magical. Don’t you just SEE the magic oozing from all that cheesecake?

Mmm… magic ooze.

Rainbow Mini Cheesecakes *adapted from THIS recipe at Kraft Foods

12 Chips Ahoy Rainbow Chip Cookies
3 pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
Wilton gel food coloring in No-Taste Red, Lemon Yellow, Kelly Green, Royal Blue, Violet

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 1 muffin pan with 12 baking cups. Place a rainbow-chip cookie in the bottom of each muffin liner and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and white sugar together until blended. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Evenly divide the cheesecake batter among five small bowls. Tint each bowl a different color–one red, one yellow, one kelly green, one blue and one purple (just tint each with a small amount of gel food coloring from a butter knife or a toothpick, adding more to graduate intensity if desired).
3. Using 5 different spoons, spoon a different color in a layered-effect into each muffin tin. I did a “standard” rainbow and a “reversed” rainbow, e.g, purple > blue >green >yellow>red AND red>yellow >green >blue>purple. Just make sure you LAYER the colors and don’t swirl them — swirling muddies the colors up.
4. Bake the cheesecakes for approx. 25-30 minutes or until the centers are just slightly set. Cool completely before refrigerating for two hours. Store them airtight in the fridge.