We always serve special desserts on holiday weekends, whether we are having an all day BBQ, guests at a special meal, or a sit-down dinner after church. Sheila and I work as a team on the desserts. She bakes them and I do the taste-testing while she works on the balance of sugar and chocolate. Teamwork pays off!
Sunday’s recipe is a creamy chocolate cheesecake. Sheila says that it was easy to make. It was easy to eat the samples.
Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake
Equipment
- 8" springform pan
- parchment paper
- pot with double-boiler insert
- standing mixer with large bowl & paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for spring-form pan - we use almond oil
- 20 2" chocolate chip cookies
- 4 Tablespoons butter (salted)
- 10 oz Ghirardelli milk chocolate baking chips
- 10 oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup extra fine sugar
- 12 oz whipped cream cheese
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
- sour cream & fresh fruit for garnish
Instructions
- Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and wipe the sides with oil.
- Crush the cookies with a rolling pin.
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan, remove from heat, then stir in the crushed cookies.
- Press the cookie/butter mixture into the bottom (and 1/2 inch up the sides) of the prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30minutes.
- Place all the chocolate into the top of the double-boiler, with gently simmering water in the bottom. Melt the chocolate, stirring frequently until thoroughly blended and remove from heat.
- Add sugar and cream cheese to the mixing bowl and beat on lowest speed until smooth.
- Slowly add the heavy cream and beat on the lowest setting until thick and creamy.
- Slowly add the melted chocolate and continue to beat on lowest setting until thoroughly blended. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and beat again.
- Add Bailey’s and mix until blended. Mixture should now have thick pudding consistency.
- Spoon into the spring-form pan and then level the surface with butter knife or spoon.
- Chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours (until very firm).
- Transfer to cake plate and serve with fresh fruit and sour cream. Also nice with ice cream.
If you don’t own a spring-form pan, or are not comfortable using one, the recipe will also work nicely in a 9” deep-dish disposable pie pan. Press the cookie crumb/butter mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the unlined disposable pan, then follow the rest of the directions as written.
Spoon any extra filling into ramekins, chill, garnish with fruit, and serve as individual desserts.
*This recipe first appeared on chocolate guru Janet Rudolph’s site: www.DyingforChocolate.com
*The photo was taken by Patti Phillips. We promise that no bodies have ever been discovered in Kerrian’s Kitchen. 😉
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What a great recipe! I have to ask. How does Kerrian stay slim??
Thanks, Sue! Kerrian is recovering from an on-the-job injury, so he exercises to keep in shape. That helps burn off the calories. 🙂
No amount of exercise is going to keep those calories at bay! But I’ll do my best to put it to the test 🙂
It’s tough but someone ought to do it …
LOLOLOL! Just pace yourself. A slice with tea and then a slice with dinner and then…Take the dogs for a long walk in the fields. 🙂