Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze--be warned!

Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

If you've shopped the cookie aisle recently, bet you didn't have trouble finding the Oreo section. The color-filled Spring Oreos with bright sky blue, yellow, or pink creme fillings, are definitely be hard to ignore. Oreo fans, we have entered a whole new world of twist and lick flavors.



Whether you get into the holiday spirit when the Christmas Winter Red Creme Oreos flood the supermarket shelves, or perhaps you secretly hoard bags of bright orange creme filled cookies for Halloween trick or treaters--and yourself, be prepare to be amazed by the vast array of creme fillings just waiting to be enjoyed.

Check out the very cool Oreo.com product listings page for an assortment of crazy fun flavors, silly names and funky combinations. And lastly, here's a dream job that someone must have out there in Oreoland, which I would apply for immediately--tasting and naming new Oreo cookie combinations. A tall glass of cold milk to cleanse the palate would be a given!

Special Limited Edition Oreos

Should we be saving these in the freezer?

Cookie Dough Creme

Marshmallow Crispy Creme

Strawberry Milkshake Creme

Tradition Oreo Creme fillings:

Cool Mint Creme

Golden Chocolate Creme

Chocolate Birthday Cake Creme

Golden Birthday Cake Creme

Peanut Butter Creme (in my freezer!)

Sky Blue Creme

Triple Double Neapolitan Creme

Chocolate Berry Burst Ice Cream Creme

Fudge Creme

Fudge Creme Coconut

Chocolate White Fudge Covered

Ice Cream Rainbow Shure-Bert Creme--love the name

Chocolate Spring

Winter Red Creme

Chocolate Halloween

Double Stuffed Heads or Tails

Football

Dulce de Leche Creme

Sugar-Free

Organics-Chocolate Sandwich with Organic Flour and Sugar

Quite surprising with all the new marketing trends--there are no Gluten-Free or Vegan Oreos--well, not yet. Hang in there guys! I'll put a call into Oreo headquarters and check on their progress.

So why am I obsessing over store-bought cookies? I think you'll find my next dessert recipe is easily changed with the seasons--so to speak. I offer to you a yummy recipe for a creamy cheesecake with a twist. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Start with a cinnamon-flavored gingersnap crust, fill half way with a rich cheesecake filling (lots of real cream cheese, eggs, sugar, heavy cream), then add a layer of chopped Oreo cookies and cover with more filling. Bake a while, then add a thin layer of sweetened sour cream just for fun. Refrigerate all of this baked goodness, then glaze with the most decadent chocolate ganache...fancy word for icing.

I know--I had you at creamy cheesecake.

The recipe first was shared in Bon Appetit in 1983 and the creation of pâtissière chef Marcy Goldman-Posluns, or Montreal's Calories. Not sure if the restaurant is still open--but the dessert lives on. Of all the cheesecakes I've baked over the years, this remains my personal favorite. Dessert fans never expect Oreo cookies to be hidden inside of a cheesecake or ever dreamed of chocolate icing on the outside. From the bottom cinnamon-flavored gingersnap crust to the top of glistening dark ganache, this is one killer dessert. Sliced thinly it will feed a minimum of 12 very happy dessert lovers. This baby is sinfully rich and a dessert memory maker.

Decorate the top with a single perfect Oreo and dust all over with shaved chocolate. Each slice reveals the surprise--chunks of Oreo cookie floating amid a creamy filling, all grounded by that rich and buttery crust. Give your guests the ultimate decadent dessert experience and serve with tall wine goblets filled icy-cold whole milk. No need to worry about calories at this point...and no dunking allowed!

Here's the process after you have made the graham cracker crust and refrigerated:

Beat cream cheese, add sugar, and beat some more.

Add flour.

Continue beating until fluffy.

Ready for eggs now.

Add eggs 2 at a time and beat until completely incorporated.

Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed....yum!

Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix again.

After baking a sour cream, vanilla and sugar mixture is added.

Bake again for 7 minutes until firm.

Cheesecake is ready for refrigerator.

Chocolate ganache ingredients: scalded heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate, vanilla.

Once cream comes to a boil (watch carefully), remove and add chocolate and vanilla.

Continue to stir off heat...

Chocolate begins to melt...

Chocolate is completely melted now...

Ready for fridge...and perhaps a taste.

Everything is chilled and ready to go. Place foil until wire rack to catch any run away chocolate. Get out your angled and straight icing knives.

Glaze has only been chilled for 10 minutes, so it will still fall nicely over cheesecake. 

For a fun slow-motion of the glazing scroll quickly down a few shots.

Falling nicely now...

This is so much fun...

The chocolate ganache smells amazing.

Don't use all the filling on top. Save a little in the pan to touch up the sides.

Now with a long cake decorating knife start smoothing ganache over top all the way to the sides.

Start working down the sides using smaller angled knife and remaining ganache.

As you work the sides, you will notice the icing becoming firmer. Keep turning cake and spreading with the angled knife, adding more ganache wherever needed to fill in cracks.

Voila!

Cheesecake iced and ready for dusting of shaved chocolate and a perfect Oreo cookie.

A thing of absolute beauty--and decadence. Thanks Marcy!

Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
serves 12
original recipe Marcy Goldman-Posluns 
Bon Appetit 1983
Printable Recipe

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted for brushing bottom and sides of pan

Oreo Cream Cheese Filling:

2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Oreos, about 20 cookies (your choice of creme filling here!)
2 cups sour cream

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
Oreo cookies, whole, for decoration

For Crust:

Place graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon in food processor. Pulse to blend. Add melted butter and pulse until ingredients are combined. Brush bottom and sides of 9" spring form pan with remaining tablespoon of unsalted butter. Press mixture evenly on bottom of pan and up 2/3 the sides of the pan. With back of measuring cup or spoon, pressed down evening. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, or until firm. 

For filling:

Preheat oven to 425°F. 

Place cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer and using paddle attachment, beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Scrape down sides. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar and mix on medium-low until fluffy--about 3 minutes. Add flour and mix well. Add eggs, then egg yolks, 2 at a time, beating and scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and heavy cream and mix on low until incorporated. 

Place pan on baking sheet and pour half of batter into prepared crust. Sprinkle chopped Oreos evenly over filling. Pour remaining batter on top, smoothing with spatula if needed. Bake on middle rack of oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225°F. Bake another 50 minutes, or until set, covering top loosely with foil if cheesecake becomes too brown. Remove pan from oven and increase oven temperature to 350°F.

Blend sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in small bowl. Spread evenly over top and return cheesecake to oven. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. If you are freezing cheesecake, once completely cooled, tightly wrap with plastic wrap and place in freezer. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before adding glaze.*

To serve immediately, once completely cooled, tightly wrap cheesecake with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator overnight. Prepare glaze and continue to next step. 

For Glaze:

Scald heavy cream in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Watch carefully. Once cream has come to rolling boil, remove from heat and stir in chocolate until completely melted. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Refrigerate glaze for 10 minutes. 

Remove cheesecake from refrigerator, run a sharp knife around the inside of the spring form pan to release cheesecake. Remove sides and place cheesecake on a wire rack set over a large sheet pan (or over a large piece of foil or parchment if you prefer).

Pour glaze over top of cake. Using a flat decorating knife, smooth glaze over top first, and then sides. Work quickly as the ganache will begin to set immediately. To decorate, place a single Oreo in the middle of cheesecake and press gently. Dust with shaved chocolate or a good quality cocoa. Chill, unwrapped, for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. 

To serve, have a hot glass of water and a few paper towels nearby. Warm sharp knife in water, dry with paper towel and slice. Repeat for each serving. Slice thin. This is a very rich cheesecake (oxymoron?). 

*To make the cheesecake ahead of time, freeze without adding glaze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then coat with ganache. Chill unwrapped in the refrigerator to firm before serving.

As a caterer, I started out by making the cheesecake fully glazed, placed it in the freezer, well wrapped, for future orders. However, one drop of moisture caused the beautiful chocolate to bloom and ruined the shiny glaze. I learned this the hard way. The taste was still the same, but the gorgeous chocolate brown became a hideous gray.

Enjoy! And don't forget to start hoarding those Limited Edition Oreos....my local grocery store was almost sold out of the peanut butter delights. And the birthday cake filled cookies had already disappeared.