My FAMOUS Cheesecake Recipe featuring an Oreo Cookie Crust

I chose this week to share this recipe in honor of my fiances birthday. Happy Birthday Zachary. :-)

For those who have tried my cheesecake, you know why I am referring to it as "FAMOUS". For those who have not, you will find out. :-)

About six years ago I wanted to make a cheesecake for Christmas, but I didn't know where to start. My mother told me her friend, Phyllis, knew how to make cheesecake and she would ask her if she would share her recipe. I now know many people who are thankful that she did.

This recipe is for plain cheesecake, but in the tips section I will share how I  spruce it up a bit and also how to make it a marble cheesecake instead.


Also, as the birthday boy requested, we experimented with an Oreo cookie crust (which was delicious), however the recipe usually calls for a prepared graham cracker crust. 


I have also made this in a shortbread crust and it was quite enjoyable that way too. 

You will need: 

2 8oz packs of cream cheese                            2 eggs

                        

   3/4 cups of sugar                                          1tsp vanilla

                         

      A pinch of salt                                 Prepared Oreo crust

             
      

How to prepare: 

Preheat the oven at 350*. 

Using an electric hand mixer, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. 


Pour mixture into the pie crust. 


Put in oven for 35-45 minutes or until center of cheesecake is slightly giggly. (The cake may be slightly browned too.)


Remove from oven, cover, and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (If you take it out too soon it will be pudding-like.)




Tips: 


I like to spruce my slice up by adding strawberries and melted chocolate. To do this: Slice a strawberry and place desired slices on top of the cheesecake slice. In the microwave, melt a few chocolate chips with 1/3 as much milk. Stir. Add the melted chocolate to a empty ziplock bag and snip a very small amount off the corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the desired amount of chocolate over the cheesecake and strawberry slices. 

You can also make this a marble cheesecake by doing the following: Pour only 1/2 of the mixture into the crust.  Mix 4oz of melted chocolate chips into remaining 1/2. Pour this into crust directly onto other 1/2. Using a spoon swirl the mixture. Bake as directed above. 




ENJOY!