Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and get your cupcake tin ready by lining it with cupcake liners.

Toss the cookies into a food processor and pulse until they’re crushed into small crumbs.

Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until everything’s mixed and crumbly.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture into each cupcake liner and press it down into a flat layer. A shot glass works perfectly, but the back of a spoon or clean fingers will do the trick too!

Pop the tin into the oven and bake for 5 minutes.

Once they’re done, take them out and set them aside to cool a bit. Don’t forget to lower the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) for the next step!

In a small saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, combine the heavy cream and chocolate. Gently heat the mixture, stirring often, until the chocolate melts and everything is smooth and glossy. If you're using the microwave, heat it in 30-second bursts at 50% power, stirring each time until melted.

In a large mixing bowl (I love using my stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this), beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined. Don’t forget to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl so everything mixes evenly—keep beating until smooth and creamy.

Crack in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape the bowl as needed to keep everything nice and smooth.

Now stir in the vanilla extract, followed by the cocoa powder.

Next up, pour in that delicious melted chocolate and cream mixture. Beat on low speed just until everything is combined. Scrape down the bowl again and give it one final mix until it’s perfectly smooth.

Time to fill those cupcake liners! Use a small cookie or ice cream scoop to evenly divide the batter among the 12 liners. Fill them all the way to the top and smooth the tops with a spatula.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, then take them out and let them cool at room temperature for about an hour. After that, pop them in the refrigator for 2 hours or until they’re nice and firm. Once chilled, remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin!

Heat the heavy cream until it's steaming hot (but not boiling). You can do this in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave—whichever you prefer!

Place the chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl, then pour the hot cream right over it. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the chocolate can melt, then whisk everything together until smooth and silky.

Spoon a bit of the ganache on top of each cheesecake and spread it gently. Pop the cheesecakes back in the fridge so the ganache can set before serving. Enjoy that rich, chocolatey finish!