Oreo Cheesecake

If you love Oreos AND Cheesecake like me, this is a cheesecake for you! Not only does it have an Oreo crust- the cheesecake is also filled with Oreo pieces so you can get some in every bite. And as always, the cheesecake is moist, creamy, and rich. Serve with whipped cream and it's even better! (If you want a more fluffier cheesecake, you can add an extra egg to the batter.) For TIPS on making cheesecake, check out the next post.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 16 slices)

• 1 pack Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/3 cup sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of both
• 4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. To make the crust, place 30 cookies in a food processor and process for 30-45 seconds or until finely ground. Add butter; mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of pan. Set crust aside.

2. Set the oven temperature at 325 degrees F. To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.

3. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the mixture is light. Beat in the vanilla.

4. Add the egg one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.

6. Chop remaining cookies. Gently stir 1 1/2 cups of the chopped cookies into the cream cheese batter. Pour over crust; sprinkle with the remaining chopped cookies.

7. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the springform pan with some space around it.

8. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure there is nothing left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.

9. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it so the water comes halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

10. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven and prop the door open. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another 1 hour.

11. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before serving.