Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
This cheesecake is seriously amazing! Creamy, rich and chocolate-y. But I am not gonna lie, it tastes a lot better than it looks. I am definitely not a food blogger. And with this recipe, I realized how hard it is to photograph cheesecake. So don’t judge my photos! And don’t let the bad photography stop you from trying this recipe.
This cheesecake has so much dairy! Butter, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, milk chocolate chips. It is pretty much a dairy farmer’s dream dessert. And in my opinion, all that dairy is what makes it so great!
I like to make this cheesecake for parties because I can make it the day before. Since it needs to set in the refrigerator overnight before adding the ganache, it makes one less thing to do the day of a party or holiday gathering.
For me, one of the worst things about baking cheesecakes, is when they crack! I have tried everything in the book to make my cheesecake not crack. Making sure all the ingredients are at room temperature, trying a water bath, adjusting the temperature of the oven, allowing the oven to cool slowly. Nothing has worked. But that is one of the reasons I love this recipe. The chocolate ganache on top covers all those cracks. Making for a smooth top on the cheesecake.
I have also made this cheesecake gluten-free by using gluten-free Oreo substitutes. And it worked just great!
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 20 Oreos, crushed
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 32 oz (4 blocks) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 whole extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the crust, combine the crushed Oreos and melted butter in a bowl. Pour into a 10-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1/2-inch up the sides.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- For the filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. You want the mixture to be fluffy.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Between each egg be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. And finally, pour into the cooled crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. This allows the cheesecake to set and cool. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature until completely cooled (2-3 hours). Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat the heavy cream and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until completely melted. (You can use a double boiler, but I don't have one. So I use low heat, stir, and watch it carefully to avoid burning it.)
- Allow it to cool to room temperature so it thickens. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, starting in the center. Spread it out evenly.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Notes:
*Gluten-free option: use gluten-free Oreo substitues.
**If you have a lot of cracks in your cheesecake, make some extra ganache to fill into the crack
***To remove the springform pan, run a hot knife around the outside of the cheesecake before removing the siding of the pan. Leave the bottom of the pan for serving.
Enjoy!
Udderly dessert,
New Mexico Milkmaid
