Monster Cookie Dough Cheesecake

If you thought putting cookie dough in cheesecake was a thing of beauty, then your gonna be mind blown with this monster cookie dough cheesecake on overload!

It’s time for one last #PBChocSat for the Ohio State vs Clemson game tonight! Sure there’s the chance that they will win and we will require another peanut butter and chocolate recipe again but that will be on a Monday, not a Saturday. To help me celebrate, I chose a crazy decadent cheesecake recipe from Lindsay Conchar’s (Life Love Sugar) new cookbook aptly named “Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes”. Which btw, you can enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter widget located at the end of this post!  But first, the cheesecake.

I’ll tell you what, this was the flattest, most perfect looking cheesecake I think I’ve ever made, so clearly Lindsay knows what she’s talking about (as if I had any doubt after years of being amazed by her perfectly awesome creations). I’ve always known that a water bath combined with slow cooling is key but I haven’t had the time to figure out how to add those steps to my recipes that don’t call for such measures, cause surely the baking time and/or temperature changes.

Regrettably, when I cut into it, I discovered that the center wasn’t quite cooked all the way through. Such a bummer to my otherwise immaculate cheesecake! I mean, as immaculate as a cheesecake can be when it’s stuffed with cookie dough and chocolate sauce, and topped with chocolate whipped cream, more cookie dough, and more chocolate sauce. Pretty sure nothing would stop me from eating this cheesecake.

I blame my oven for the problem though because I don’t believe that it’s ever at the temperature it says it is. I bought an internal oven thermometer and it rarely matches what my oven claims. But which is right? Maybe they are both incorrect? Ugh, this is why cooking with gas is so much better and I cannot wait to finally have a gas oven and range again one of these days. But I digress, this cheesecake is the perfect medication for my nerves going into this game today… GO BUCKS!!

Two years ago: Best of 2014

Four years ago: Best of 2012

MONSTER COOKIE DOUGH CHEESECAKE

Serves 12-16

Ingredients:

COOKIE DOUGH

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (heat treated*)

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (heat treated*)

2 Tbsp milk

1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini candy-coated chocolate pieces

CRUST

2-1/2 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

FILLING

3 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup chocolate sauce

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

TOPPING

Mini candy-coated pieces

Chocolate sauce

Directions:

1. Make the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and peanut butter. Add the flour, oats, and milk and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolate pieces. Crumble and set aside.
2. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 F. Lin the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
4. Make the filling: Reduce oven temperature to 300 F. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter, and flour on low speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla and mix on low until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.
5. Pour 1/3 of the filling into the crust. crumble half of the cookie dough evenly over the batter, and drizzle chocolate sauce on top. Spread remaining filling over the top.
6. Place springform pan inside of a larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go halfway up the sides, being careful to not go over the top edge of the foil. Bake for 1 hour.
7. After 1 hour, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, crack open the door and allow to cool slowly for another 30 minutes. Remove from own and let sit on counter for 15 minutes. Remove from water bath and remove foil before refrigerating until cool, about 6-7 hours.
8. When firm, remove the springform pan and set on a serving plate.
9. Make the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat the cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder until stiff peaks form. Spread on top on the cheesecake and then crumble the remaining cookie dough on top. Sprinkle with additional candy-coated chocolate pieces and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes, by Lindsay Conchar

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of the cookbook and another to giveaway from YC Media. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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