by Wolfgang Puck

Cookies-And-Cream Cheese Cake Recipe
Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

I'd like to share with you my recipe for one of the most popular flavors of cheesecake: cookies and cream. Unlike many commercial versions of Cookies & Cream Cheesecake, my Cookies & Cream Cheesecake recipe doesn't feature store-bought sandwich cookies. Instead, both its crust and its filling feature a richly flavorful, crumbly, home-baked chocolate cookie dough. And the cheesecake mixture itself is flavored with melted white chocolate. (To melt the chocolate for the recipe, break it up into small pieces, putting them in a small microwave-proof cup or bowl. Cover with a paper towel and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds; then stop and stir, repeating the microwaving once or twice more.)

There are a few simple secrets to making cheesecake successfully.

Use a springform pan with a clip-secured detachable side, which makes unmolding the cake easier, and grease its inside well.

Before filling the pan, wrap its bottom and partway up the side in aluminum foil: This is necessary to help waterproof the joint between the bottom and side, because you'll be baking the cheesecake inside a water bath that will help the filling bake more gently and evenly.

Make this Cookies & Cream Cheesecake recipe the day before, so it will have time to set and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Then, use a thin, sharp knife dipped in a glass of hot water to help loosen it from the pan's side and then cut it into wedges. A scattering of fresh berries -- whole blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, or sliced strawberries -- makes a perfect garnish.

Cookies-And-Cream Cheese Cake Recipe

    Prep Time: 20 minutes

    Cook time: 50 minutes

    Yield: Serves 10

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients

    Chocolate Crumble:

    1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    4 ounces unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 4 pieces

    3 large cage-free egg yolks

    3 tablespoons heavy cream

    Cheesecake:

    1-1/2 pounds cream cheese, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

    1 cup sugar

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    3/4 cup sour cream

    3 large cage-free eggs

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    4 ounces white chocolate, melted

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Recipe Instructions

    Position the rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    Spray with nonstick spray the inside of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

    For the crumble,

    Sift together the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt. Transfer to a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Pulse until blended. Arrange the butter around the bowl; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the yolks and cream; with the processor running, pour the mixture through the feed tube, scraping out all the liquid. Process until the dough begins to come together, about 1 minute.

    To make the crust, spoon half the dough into the prepared springform pan and press evenly over the bottom. Spread the remaining dough on the prepared baking tray. Place the pan and tray in the oven and bake until lightly toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, wrap heavy-duty aluminum foil, or two layers of regular foil, around the bottom and up the outside of the springform pan, pleating the foil to tighten. Coarsely crumble the dough on the parchment paper. Set aside.

    For the cheesecake,

    Put the cream cheese, sugar, and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle. At medium speed, beat until smooth, stopping often to scrape down the bowl and under the paddle with a rubber spatula. Raise the speed to high and continue beating until creamy. Stop and add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla; beat 3 minutes longer, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl and under the paddle. Add the melted chocolate and continue beating until well combined.

    Pour half the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan. Evenly scatter in half the crumble. Pour in the remaining cheesecake mixture and cover with the remaining crumble.

    Set the pan in the center of a slightly larger baking pan with sides higher than the springform. Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan, but not above its foil. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour. (Check the water level after 30 minutes, adding more if necessary.) Cover the cake loosely with foil and continue baking until its center is slightly firm, 20 minutes longer.

    Carefully remove both pans and transfer the springform pan to a wire rack, carefully folding the foil down its sides to help cooling. When cool enough to handle, remove the foil and leave the cake to cool completely. Cover loosely with clean foil and refrigerate overnight.

    When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator. Dip a thin, sharp knife in warm water and run it around the inside of the pan, loosening the cake. Remove the outer ring. Continue dipping the knife as necessary to cut neat wedges.

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Wolfgang Puck's Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Recipe

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