Cookies and cream cheesecake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 175°C and wrap the outside of a springform pan tightly in two layers of wide aluminum foil. The pan must be sealed so the water bath cannot seep in and soak the crust. The pan is ready when the foil hugs it snugly and reaches almost to the rim.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Blitz 220 g chocolate sandwich cookies, filling and all, into fine crumbs in a food processor, mix with 50 g melted unsalted butter, then press firmly into the bottom of the pan. The cream filling in the cookies works with the butter as a binder, so the crust holds together very well. The crust is ready when the crumbs look glossy and moist and press down flat with no dips.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Bake the crust at 175°C for about 8 to 10 minutes, take it out to cool, then lower the oven to 160°C. Prebaking dries the crust so it stays crisp under the moist filling. The crust is ready when it smells of chocolate and feels dry to the touch.

   Bake at 175°C for about 8 to 10 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Beat 680 g softened cream cheese on low speed with 150 g granulated sugar and 15 g all-purpose flour, then add 120 g sour cream and 6 g vanilla extract. Beating slowly keeps the filling smooth without whipping in too much air. The mixture is ready when it is white, smooth, creamy and free of lumps of cheese.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Add 150 g eggs one at a time, stirring slowly just until blended, then break 120 g chocolate sandwich cookies into small pieces and fold them into the filling. Adding the cookies last keeps them in pieces instead of dissolving and turning the filling gray. The filling is ready when it is smooth and glossy, with cookie pieces scattered throughout.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Pour the filling over the crust, set the pan in a deep roasting pan and pour in hot water halfway up the side of the springform, then bake at 160°C for about 55 to 65 minutes. The steam helps the filling cook evenly and keeps the top from cracking. The cheesecake is done when the edges are set but the center still wobbles slightly when you nudge the pan.

   Bake at 160°C for about 55 to 65 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Turn off the oven, prop the door ajar with a wooden spoon and let the cheesecake rest inside for about an hour. Slow cooling lets the filling contract gradually so the top stays flat. It is ready when the pan is just barely warm; run a knife around the inside of the pan before taking it out.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Let the cheesecake come to room temperature, cover it well and chill for at least eight hours. A baked cheesecake needs a long chill for the filling to set firm and the chocolate flavor to meld. It is ready when the center has firmed up and the pan releases easily.

   Suggested time: about 480 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Whip 150 g cold whipping cream with 15 g powdered sugar on medium speed for about three minutes. Powdered sugar dissolves quickly and helps the cream hold its shape longer on the cake. The cream is ready at stiff peaks, standing straight up when you lift the whisk.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Remove the ring of the pan, pipe small rosettes of cream around the edge of the cheesecake, then cut 66 g chocolate sandwich cookies in half and press one half into each rosette. Decorating just before serving keeps the cookies crisp and the cream from weeping. The cheesecake is finished when the rosettes are even and the cookies stand firmly.

    Mark step 10 as done