Are you ready for this heavenly, chocolatey delight?! Beloved readers of KS, I present to you, the chocolate Oreo cheesecake! CHOCOHOLICS UNITE!
This recipe reminds me of all the delicious cheesecakes on display at The Cheesecake Factory. And for those of you who have never been, The Cheesecake Factory is a restaurant chain with EVERY flavor of cheesecake under the sun. I’m talking from plain, all the way to caramel Snicker fudge brownie.
Shawn and I always joke that we should make going to The Cheesecake Factory an annual event—so we declared June 17th annual Cheesecake Factory day. The cheesecake is simply that good. We haven’t really kept that commitment, but I still think about it every June 17th! And then I start to crave cheesecake…
There is nothing quite like cheesecake. Over the holidays, I decided it would be the perfect dessert to bring to family gatherings. The only problem—I’d never made a cheesecake before. It has always seemed like a very intimidating recipe to me, until now.
For starters, all recipes call for a springform pan. What the heck is a springform pan?! This is essential to the recipe because the sides of the cake pan expand and the bottom can be removed, allowing you to easily remove the cheesecake from the pan.
Luckily my mother-in-law has an absurd number of springform pans lying around, so I was all set! Some recipes I researched had very particular directions regarding cooling the cheesecake. One such method used a water bath to prevent cracking in cheesecakes. I still haven’t tried this yet but for me, simplicity is the key.
As I’ve mentioned, my nephew has an egg allergy, so I make most of my desserts without eggs or with egg substitutes. I’m fairly certain that eggs are considered pretty standard in a cheesecake recipe, but I was able to find an excellent eggless caramel apple cheesecake recipe on Buzzfeed’s Tasty website. It was an extremely simple and delicious recipe!
This method became the inspiration for the chocolate Oreo cheesecake—for all the chocoholics out there like me! With an Oreo crust and chocolate cheesecake filling, some would be satisfied. But for me, the more chocolate the better, hence the rich ganache topping poured right over the top! I topped the ganache with more crushed and halved Oreo cookies, but the possibilities are endless! I think for my next cheesecake I want to incorporate peanut butter and Reese’s cups. Or sea salt and caramel… Or heath bar with butterscotch… Stay tuned!!
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
For the crust
- 24 Oreos, crushed (do not have to remove filling)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling
- 4 8 ounce packages cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
For the topping
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Extra crushed and halved Oreos for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 8 to 10 inch springform pan.
- For the crust, place 24 Oreo cookies in large zip lock bag and finely crush with a rolling pin. Mix with butter in bowl. Press crust mixture into bottom of greased springform pan and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In another bowl or stand mixer, combine all cheesecake filling ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Spread filling evenly over Oreo crust.
- Place cheesecake back in oven and bake for 30 minutes; center of cheesecake should jiggle just slightly with gentle shake of the pan.
- Turn the oven off and let cheesecake sit in the oven with the door slightly cracked for 30 more minutes, then let sit on countertop for another 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
For the ganache
- In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat. As soon as the cream begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately whisk in chocolate chips, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy.
- Remove cheesecake from the springform pan and carefully slide off the removable metal bottom. Pour ganache over the cheesecake, starting in the center and spiraling out to the edges; use a silicone spatula to gently spread the ganache to the edges, letting it drip a little.
- Top ganache with crushed and halved Oreos as desired. Place back in refrigerator for 20 minutes to let ganache set. Serve and enjoy the chocolatey goodness!
Notes
To cut Oreo halves, use a large serrated bread knife and slowly saw through the cookie.
Hi Patty
I want to use a pie crust with the filling is that ok
What kind of chocolate did you use for the ganache?
Hi Kaitlin – I used the same Ghirardelli 60% Cacao that I use in the filling! They’re my favorite I always use in chocolate chip cookies too
Made this awesome Oreo Cheesecake for my grandson, who is still a Cookie Monster. Mine is not as pretty as the recipe’s but the flavor is so rich, smooth, & totally not low fat!
I know a couple little Cookie Monsters who enjoy this recipe too! Glad your grandson was a fan!
I’m substituting caramel sauce and pecans with drizzle of ganache. Think turtle candies. I just loved your filling recipe the best! Happy Thanksgiving!!
★★★★★
Hi Sandy. That sounds delicious! I am making this for Christmas Eve, I may try it with caramel and pecans!
Great recipe! I made this for a niece’s birthday, and everyone loved it! Thank you!
★★★★
You’re so welcome I’m glad it was a hit!
Is the cheesecake in your pic from 8 or 10 inch pan?
Hi Cleo, I’m sorry for the late response, we were away on vacation when you sent this and I could not remember the size of pan I used! Just looked – mine was actually a 9.5 inch pan!
I note there are no eggs in this recipe – is this correct
Hi Daphne – yes there are no eggs, that probably sounds a little odd in a cheesecake recipe! My nephew has an egg allergy, so many of my desserts I find a way to make without eggs!