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Oreo Cheesecake

Ingredients:


1 (20-oz) package Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies, divided

1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Finely roll 30 cookies; coarsely chop 20 cookies. Mix finely rolled cookie crumbs and margarine or butter in medium bowl. Press on bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan; set aside
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Blend in eggs, sour cream and vanilla, fold in chopped cookies. Spread mixture into prepared crust.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until set.




Cool on wire rack at room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Halve remaining cookies; remove side of pan. To serve, garnish with whipped cream and cookie halves.

Baked Cappaccino Fudge Cheesecake.




Crust

250g chocolate biscuits

7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter



Ganache

1 1/2 cups thickened cream

500g dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup Kahlúa



Filling

3 1/2 x 250g packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 tablespoons instant coffee



1 tablespoon ground espresso coffee



1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs



Topping

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract



Preparation



For crust:

Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute. Transfer crumbs to 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan.



For ganache:

Bring whipping cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat; add chocolate and Kahlúa. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for creating lattice pattern.



For filling

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 180degreesC. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in flour. Stir rum, instant coffee, ground coffee and vanilla in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.

Pour filling over cold ganache in crust. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges and middle 2 inches move slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool for 15 minutes while preparing topping (top of cheesecake will fall slightly). Maintain oven temperature.



For topping:

Whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about 3 hours.



You can decorate the cooled cheesecake with the remaining ganache. Or just leave it and eat the ganache with a spoon, like I did!

Lemon Goat Cheese Cheesecakes With Blood Orange Sauce

Lemon Goat Cheese Cheesecakes with Blood Orange Syrup:




Makes 8 mini cheesecakes



For the graham crakers: follow the recipe on Shauna's site blindly...you won't be disappointed, and grind enough graham crakers to make 1 cup crumbs.



For the cheesecake:

1 cup (250ml) graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons (60gr) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup (200gr) sugar, divided

8 oz (240r) fresh mild goat cheese, at room temperature

8 oz (240gr) cream cheese, at room temperature

juice and zest of a whole lemon

3 large eggs



Preheat the oven to 325F and position a rack in the middle. Line 8 standard sized muffin tins with liners and slighly spray with cooking spray. Place the muffin pan in a large roasting pan. Set aside.



In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, the melted butter and 1/4 cup (50gr) sugar. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared muffin liners and pat with the back of a spoon. Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool. Lower the heat to 300F.



In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining sugar with the cheeses and the lemon zest on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and beat another 30 seconds. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin liners. Add hot water to the roasting pan but do not worry about coming up halfway the side of the muffin pan too much. The oven temperature is already so low that the water is just to be on the safe side. Add at least one inch inside the roasting pan.



Bake the mini cheesecakes for 20 minutes or until slightly giggling in the middle still. Keep an eye on them as they bake rather fast this way. Let cool completely before unmolding and serving with the blood orange syrup.



Notes: I made 8 small ones (baked in muffin tins) but you could make two 4-inch ones and bake them for about 10 minutes longer at the same heat.



For the blood orange syrup:

1 cup (250ml) fresh blood orange juice

1/2 cup (100gr) sugar



In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, stir together the blood orange juice and the sugar over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer down until the liquid is about reduced by half. Let cool and serve with the cheesecakes.