Gluten-Free Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

One day while wandering around a bookstore I came across a sweet deal. Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes was sitting on a discount table. I had seen some posts on some baking blogs and many posted her cupcakes with rave reviews. Personally I’m not a big cupcake fan and don’t understand the big hoopla about cupcakes, but I was intrigued.

In flipping through this book I liked the variety of cupcakes. Every recipe had a picture (and I like pictures) and it was fun ohhhing and ahhhing over them. The recipebook wasn’t full of crazy fancy cupcakes either. The majority look like I would have made them – with the arthritis in my hands I don’t even want to go near a pastry bag, but there are some fancy ones too.

I took these in to some colleagues this summer and no one would have thought they were gluten-free. The other resident celiac loved them. I purposely gave her extras and she had the strength to save them to enjoy throughout the week. Strong girl.

These are delicious and so easy to make. The recipe is for 30 cupcakes and I halved it easily (seriously, I really don’t want to eat 30 mini-cheesecakes). I also used gf chocolate vanilla crème cookies from Glutino (those from Kinnikinnick would work well too). 

To make a lower fat version I used thick plain yogurt instead of the sour cream. Lastly, I would suggest not making these in a large muffin tin as the mixture will surround the cookie instead of sitting on top of it, like it would in a regular muffin tin. The original recipe is below.

Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes  Makes 30               (Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)

42 gf cream-filled sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped

2 lbs cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375°. Line muffin tin with paper liners and place one whole cookie in the bottom of each cup. With a mixer beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand. Divide batter evenly among cookie cups. Bake until filling is set, about 22 mins (Martha also suggests rotating the tins halfway through baking). Let cool completely then refrigerate, in the tins, at least 4 hours.