Cheesecake Pops

Baby shower thank-you gifts!

I am unsure how my cheesecake turned out firm and "scoop-able". They didn't stick my hands and were just perfect to round into balls.

I took out my cheesecake after 40 mins and it was browned on top. The middle even cracked slightly, but just a little. I thought to myself, "..uh-oh, doomed!" So with crossed fingers I cooled it and place it carefully inside the fridge overnight.

The next morning, I scraped the top of my cheesecake and the bottom layer. The bottom softens a little to make them perfectly scoop-able and no mess! I am not sure how or why most end up with gooey, mess with theirs but I suppose I missed that soft, gooey cheesecake with these!

Perhaps it's my measurements? I halved the recipe accordingly but not entirely. And used a hand mixer. Maybe I overmixed them. Or maybe it's the square tin pan I used instead? Anyway, here's my version.

Cheesecake Pops

Ingredients:
600g cream cheese
180g caster sugar
17g flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg + 2 small eggs (42g)
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla paste
30mls whipped cream

30-40 (4 inches) lollipop sticks or skewers
some semi-sweet or dark chocolates and shortening
other types of topping (crushed cereals, graham crackers etc)
How to make:

Preheat oven at 170C.
Cream together cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
Add vanilla paste and cream.

Grease a square tin pan and pour batter in. Set kettle on. Place tin pan in a large roasting dish and pour boiling water in roasting dish til water comes up halfway tin pan. Place roasting dish inside preheated oven. Congratulations, you've set yourself baking in bain-marie style =)

Bake 35 to 45 mins.

Tips: I'd check after 30 minutes. Mine took 40 mins and it was all browned on top.

Remove tin pan from its water bath. Let cool to room temperature, place plastic wrap on it then place it in the fridge overnight. Or at least 3 hours for cheesecake to firm up.

Scoop cheesecake into small balls (25g each) and roll them with your clean hands. I weighed each balls and got exactly 35 balls. Place them on a tray layered with baking sheets. Stick your lollipop or skewer stick into each ball. Freeze 1-2 hours til very hard.

Melt shortening and chocolate in microwave for few seconds stirring each time. Dip frozen cheesecakes into chocolate mix and place them back in the fridge for at least 24 hours. They may also be frozen.

Hints: You may use milk chocolate but I find them too sweet. I used 1/4 milk and 3/4 dark chocolate for mine. I also thinned out the chocolates with warm milk. My first try was milk chocolate and hubby said the chocolate was too empowering and too thick. Hence, the variation.

I must admit, I was very reluctant to make these pops looking at the amount of cream cheese required in the original recipe. 5 blocks!! But seeing it's a special occassion and I do want to make personalized thank-you gifts, I thought I'd halve the recipe and make just enough for the guests.

Love eating these frozen. Some may melt at room temperature while others don't. Am not quite sure why. I suppose the ones dipped with melted chocolate and warm milk would.