Chocolate Covered Raspberry Cheesecake Bites

I promise that we really do eat good, healthy, regular food at our house, even though I've been posting all these sweets and treats lately. I had to make a dessert for an activity, so I looked through my "to-make" files and decided on these that I found at Life's Ambrosia. I love chocolate covered cherries, but I decided to change it up just a little and use raspberry pie filling instead and ruin the whole chocolate covered cherry thing. I thought it might be less bumpy on top and I love raspberries too.

I gotta say that these were a pain, but maybe partly because I was in a hurry and didn't get to freeze the cheesecake for long enough before dipping in chocolate. Des does warn you on her recipe that it's messy. I needed more chocolate than the one bag. I guess I didn't let the chocolate drip off enough to conserve more for the other pieces.

You might think that cutting an 8-inch pan into 40 pieces gives you teeny-tiny pieces, but the smaller, the easier they are to dip. And the chocolate added on top makes them a good little size. You see that cheesecake bite I cut in half for the photo? I just had to eat it since it was cut and to approve it before giving it away. Yummmm! Don't you just love mini desserts?

 
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cheesecake Bites
Crust:
2 c. Gingersnap cookies, crushed

1 T. butter, melted

Cheesecake filling:
2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. sour cream

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1 can of cherry or raspberry filling

Chocolate:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

1/3 c. shortening

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 8-inch square glass pan with foil, be sure to cover the sides, you are going to use this to lift the cheesecake out of the pan.

Combine the melted butter and gingersnap crumbs and press into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

While your crust is cooking, in a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients for the cheesecake filling. Mix until creamy and smooth. Pour into the crust. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 40 minutes.

Put the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove and spread the cherries on top. Now put the cheesecake in the freezer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove and slice into approximately 40 pieces. Melt chocolate with shortening right before you pull the cheesecake out of the freezer.

Using a fork gently poke the cheesecake bites and dip them in the chocolate, using a spoon to make sure they get completely coated. Set them on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath to catch the chocolate. You may want to spoon some over the top to cover your fork marks. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.