Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

One of my ‘go-to’ recipes is my cookies and cream cheesecake.  It’s relatively simple and very delicious – a definite crowd pleaser.  It is based on my white chocolate cheesecake recipe, but I make it as a larger slab type recipe for bigger groups.  It has the potential to last up to a week in the refrigerator – but alas, it has never lasted that long with my friends and family.

Crust:

Ingredients

• 500g Oreo cookies
• 120g butter

Method

1. Put the Oreos into a food processor and blend until fine crumbs.
2. Add butter and process until evenly mixed through.
3. Press crumbs into a 25cm or 10″ slice tray* and refrigerate.

Cheesecake filling:

Ingredients

• 570g cream cheese
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cup thickened cream
• 3 tsp powdered gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
• 300g white chocolate (melted)
• 150g Oreo cookies, smashed

Method

1. Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
2. Add the cream and continue beating until light and fluffy.
3. Add the gelatine mixture (making sure there are no lumps) and the white chocolate, continue beating until smooth and even consistency.
4. Add the chopped/smashed Oreos and stir through lightly.
5. Remove the base from the refrigerator and pour the cheesecake filling on top.
6. Shake the mixture from aide to side until you have an even top, replace into the refrigerator until set (usually 3-4 hours – I leave mine overnight though).
7. Slice up and share (unless you can eat a whole cheesecake in a week).

* Hot tip:  If you are using a silicon slice tray (like I do because it is so much easier to spring a slice from this than a non-spring form metal tray), it’s best if you place a baking tray underneath it when you are moving it around.  This will allow the base to set and not crack when you lift it in and out of the fridge with the heavy cheesecake filling in it.