Shelly's Recipe

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH OREO COOKIE CRUST

Category: Cheesecake

Oreo Cookie Crust:
13 Oreo cookies or similar chocolate sandwich cookie, crushed fine
1/4 cup melted butter

Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:
4 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup semi sweet gourmet chocolate chips, melted (see above)

Dark Chocolate Ganache Icing (optional):
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup mini dark chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate.

Heat cream almost to scald. Remove from burner. Add chocolate and whisk to blend and melt.

Cool enough to spoon or drizzle. Chill ganache 1 hour or more to spread or pipe from a pastry bag.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (This cheesecake needs a lower oven temperature than most cheesecake recipes.)

Place a pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven and close the door.

Take a 9 inch springform pan apart, line the bottom plate with aluminum foil, then reassemble the pan. Pull the excess foil up and around the pan to prevent any batter from leaking into the oven. Spray sides and bottom with vegetable spray.

Mix Oreo Cookie Crust ingredients and pat on the bottom of the prepared pan.

In a mixing bowl on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth ~ about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides half way through. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat again, scraping a few times. The mixture should be smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time beating after each addition until creamy. Add vanilla and blend. With the mixer on low, add melted chocolate in a steady stream and beat only enough so there are no lumps and the filling is nice and fluffy. Scrape as needed.

Pour batter into prepared pan on top of the Oreo cookie crust, and bake at 300 degrees for 60-70 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will be a little jiggly. This will set up as the cheesecake cools. Remove from oven and let cool before removing the sides of the pan.

When fully chilled, remove from pan and frost with the optional dark chocolate ganache icing. Wrap and refrigerate any leftovers.