DEATH-BY-CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF and put a large pot of water on to boil. When it reaches a boiling point, pour it into a casserole dish or oven-safe pot, filling halfway; place on the bottom rack in the oven. (This acts as a makeshift water bath and turns the oven into a "steam room," ensuring that your cheesecakes won't crack.)
• To make the crusts, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, cocoa powder, brown sugar and sea salt.
• Spoon the chocolate graham cracker mixture into 24 paper-lined mini muffin pan cups. Press crumbs onto bottoms of cups with your fingers or the back of a measuring spoon.
• Melt 4 oz. of the semi-sweet chocolate using the instructions on the package; set aside.
• To make the cheesecake filling, add the cream cheese to a bowl and beat with a standing or hand-held mixer for 30 seconds or until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat together for about 1 minute.
• Crack the egg into a separate bowl. Add the egg to the cream cheese mixture; beat until blended. Scrape side of bowl.
• Add the sour cream, heavy cream and melted chocolate and beat until everything is mixed together.
• Spoon equal amounts of chocolate cheesecake batter into mini muffin pan cups. For easier portioning, use a small cookie scoop to evenly distribute the cheesecake batter.
• Place the muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven. The casserole dish with the water should still be on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. (The cheesecakes will be done when the sides look set, but the centers still jiggle slightly when nudged.)
• Turn the oven off and prop the door open a little bit. Allow the cheesecakes to cool for 30 minutes in the oven.
• After the 30 minutes have passed, allow the cheesecakes to cool completely outside of the oven before placing the muffin tins in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours.
• When you're ready to serve, remove the mini cheesecakes from the muffin pan cups. (You may need to run a knife around the edges of the cups to loosen them.)
• Melt 4 oz. of the remaining semi-sweet chocolate; drizzle over the tops of the cheesecake bites.
• To top with chocolate shavings, scrape a vegetable or potato peeler along the edge of the remaining chocolate squares. Sprinkle the shavings over the tops of the cheesecake bites before serving.