Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Oreo Explosion Cheesecake






I have made this cheesecake for the past several years. It is a huge crowd-pleaser. It may dip in the middle a bit, especially if you use full-fat cream cheese. If you use low-fat cream cheese as I do, you are not as likely to have an issue, and the dessert is so creamy you won't miss the missing fat.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
3 packages Philadelphia® or Neufchatel (low-fat) cream cheese
1 package Oreo® cookies or chocolate sandwich cookies, half broken, half
crushed in a food processor.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a food processor, pulse half the cookies until you have achieved a fine powder.
3. Press cookie crumbs into a 10- or 12-inch springform pan and press in the corners so that the crumbs crawl slightly up the sides.
4. Beat eggs with vanilla and sugar.
5. Slowly add cream cheese and beat only until combined.
6. Pour cheese custard into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining cookies. I like to simply break them up by hand so there are large pieces, but you can also chop them roughly in the food processor.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to one hour, and remove from the oven when the middle is still a little moist. The whole thing should still be jiggly. Cool completely for at least two hours and, ideally, chill overnight before serving.