Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Bites

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine or 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup wheat germ, any flavor
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 36 small pecan halves
• 6 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350.
• 2 with paper towel, generously coat muffin cups with margarine.
• 3 divide wheat germ evenly among muffin cups; gently shake pans until bottoms and sides of cups are evenly coated with wheat germ.
• 4 set aside.
• 5 beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth.
• 6 add sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla; mix well.
• 7 beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
• 8 pour batter into muffin cups, dividing evenly.
• 9 bake 12-15 minutes or until filling is barely set.
• 10 cool 10 minutes in pan.
• 11 loosen with narrow spatula; lift out cheesecake bites.
• 12 cool 30 minutes on wire rack.
• 13 cover and chill.
• 14 to serve: top each cheesecake bite with small pecan half.
• 15 microwave caramel topping on high for about 10 seconds until spoonable.
• 16 spoon 1/2 tsp.
• 17 in center of each cheesecake bite.