Oreo Cheesecakes

"Mom, where are my Twix bars?" my brother Ian asked groggily, twisting in his seat. 
"They should be in the cooler," she called back, keeping her eyes on the road. I shifted uneasily. Do you ever wake up from a nap and just kind of...sleep eat? Without even realizing it? 
"Uh...how many are there?" I asked slowly. 
"Two I think". Sigh. Well, no point in lying. 
"I ate them," I announced. Ian turned to me in wide eyed shock and screeched his disapproval. 
"Rebecca, seriously? You ate them?" my mom exclaimed. At this point my sister bursts into laughter and my mom begins backpedaling. 
"No, I mean, it's fine, it's not like it's a big deal, but I'm just surprised! You always ask if you are going to eat the last of something, or you're more likely to let food go to waste rather than take it from someone else. That's all I meant". 
"I was sleep eating, " I grumbled. I vaguely remembered pulling the mini candy bars out of the cooler before drifting back to sleep. 
"YOU OWE ME NEW TWIX BARS!" Ian bellowed. Somehow I don't think I'll be able to live this one down. 

I owed Ian something anyway. For months and months, he has begged me for either a.) a box cake, or b.) oreo cheesecakes. For another unrelated reason, I also owe my sister her own cheesecake, but that's another story. I refer to all of this collectively as my "Cheesecake Debt". 

In the background is what I refer to as my "Grumpy Mug"

This seemed like as good a time as any to pay Ian's part of the Cheesecake Debt. I've been making these miniature oreo cheesecakes for years, as they're a favorite at graduation parties and gatherings. People seem to be delighted by it, maybe because it's neater and more self contained than a slice of cheesecake, maybe they think it's cute that each cheesecake has a whole oreo as the crust. I dunno. But they're a surefire way to be forgiven for accidental Twix eating. 

Oreo Cheesecakes 
from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
(I halved this recipe and still ended up with 20, so if you make the full recipe you may very well end up with more than 30).

42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.
Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies.
Divide batter among pans. Bake for about 22 minutes or until filling is set.
Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight covered. Remove from pans just before serving.