Oreo Cheesecake!

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). If you are using a nonstick pan, lower the oven temperature to 325°F (162°C).

2. Mix together the 26 crushed Oreo cookies and melted butter in a food processor. Pulse the Oreo cookies in the food processor until you get fine crumbs first. Add the melted butter and blend again until smooth.

• Save the remaining 10 cookies for the filling.

3. Press the cookie mixture into the prepared springform pan. Make sure that the crust is firmly packed into the pan, or it won’t hold together.

4. Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, then set it aside to cool.

• Do not remove the crust from the springform pan yet. It won’t hold together until you add the cheesecake filling.

5. Beat the of cream cheese and sugar until blended. You can do this using an electric mixer or a food processor fitted with whisks.

• Make sure you scrape down the sides, this will ensure that everything gets evenly mixed together.

6. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time. Mix the filling on low speed after each egg you add until it is blended before adding the next egg.

7. Fold in the sour cream and vanilla extract, and mix again. Make sure that the ingredients are evenly mixed throughout.

8. Roughly chop up the remaining Oreo cookies and stir them into the filling.

• Use a knife to chop the cookies into coarse crumbs; they can be as big or as small as you’d like.
• Gently stir them into the filling using a spatula.

9. Pour the filling into the crust.

• If you need to, use a spatula to help guide the filling into the crust. Smooth the top down with a spatula so that there aren’t any ripples.

10. Bake the cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes. The cake is ready when the centre is almost set. (To prevent the top of the cake from browning in the oven, tent a sheet of tin foil over the pan during the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking)

11. Let the cheesecake cool completely before taking it out of the pan. Once the cheesecake finishes baking, take it out of the oven and set it down. Run a knife around the rim of the pan. Let the cake cool completely before opening the pan and removing the rim. Leave the cake on the pan’s base, however.

12. To decorate; Place the cheesecake onto a plate.

13. Cover the entire cake with frosting. (This will help the cookie crumbs stick to it better).

• If you made a 2-inch (5.08 centimetres) high crust, leave that part uncovered.
• If the frosting is too sweet for you, add a pinch of salt to it. This will help cut the sweetness.

14. Crumble a handful of Oreo cookies until they resemble coffee grounds. You need enough to cover the entire top of your cake.

*How thick that layer depends entirely on your preference. (Use a food processor or a blender to grind the cookies into a fine dust).

15. Sprinkle the ground Oreos over the top of the cake in an even layer.

16. Fill a piping bag with whipped cream. 

17. Pipe dollops of whipped cream all around the edge of the cake. 

• Aim to have about 16 dollops. This way, each dollop will get topped with one Oreo cookie.