Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Recipe
This cheesecake is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. The filling is mixed with crushed oreo cookies, which you can make yourself to eliminate excess ingredients and feel even better about serving this dessert to your family.
Equipment
- 8" spring form pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 12 oreo cookies crushed
Ganache
- 3 oz dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the crust
- Line a spring form pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add almond flour, melted butter, pitted dates, and cocoa powder to blender. Blend until fully combined, pausing to push down the sides as needed.
- Press crust into spring form pan, pushing the crust up the sides about an inch.
- Bake for ten minutes. Allow to cool completely. Pull out ingredients for the filling now so they have time to warm to room temperature before you mix them up.
Make the filling
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Beat together until fully combined. Using a spoon or rubber spatula scrap the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are fully mixed.
- Fold in crushed oreos (to keep the oreo filling or not is up to you).
- Pour cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust.
- Place spring form pan onto a high rimmed baking sheet or baking dish to use as a water bath. Add water to the pan and place the baking sheet, with the spring form pan in it, into the oven. Bake for 55 minutes or until the edges are puffed up slightly and the middle remains very jiggly.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool on the tray for 30 minutes to an hour before transferring to the fridge to chill for another 12-24 hours. Cheesecakes taste best after they have aged for a day or two.
For the ganache
- Add dark chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream to a microwave safe bowl, or the bowl of a double boiler.
- In the microwave, heat for 30 seconds then stir. If the chocolate is still firm, return to the microwave for another 20-30 seconds. Stir until chocolate mixture is smooth and no traces of cream remainIf using a double boiler, stir frequently while the chocolate heats up, remove from heat when the chocolate mixture is smooth and no traces of cream remain.
- Remove the sides from the spring form pan. Pour ganache over the top of the cheesecake, using a knife or spatula spread the chocolate over the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides.
- Return to the fridge to chill for another 30 minutes before serving.
- If desired, top with some homemade whipped cream and more crushed oreos.
Notes
Cheesecakes love moisture, this helps prevent cracking as the cheesecake cools. Anything that you can add some water into that will also accommodate the spring form pan will work for a water bath. Cracking is purely cosmetic though, your cake will still taste amazing!
If you'd like a plain cheesecake, simply omit the oreo's.
You could add up to 1 cup of maple syrup/honey if you desire.
Mix the filling ingredients with everything at room temperature to prevent the cream cheese from clumping up due to cold ingredients.