Oreo Cheesecake Squares

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert ever! It’s what I always request for my birthday cake, and I’ve never had one I haven’t enjoyed. I think the classic New York cheesecake (which I’ve never made myself) will always be my favorite, but I love all variations that I’ve tried. I’ve been wanting to make this Oreo version for a long time now (probably a couple of years at least), and I finally decided to go for it, when I brought dessert over to my parent’s house for Memorial day. I brought these, along with the Whole Lemon Squares, because I knew my boyfriend wouldn’t eat the Lemon Squares, and because one can never have too many desserts, right?  These were rich, and delicious, and were a big hit. I told Ron to bring the leftovers to work, but he loved them so much that he hoarded most of them for himself. Mine did crack on the top a bit, but that’s just a normal characteristic of cheesecake, and honestly that doesn’t bother me, as long as it tastes good!

Oreo Cheesecake Squares

Makes 9-16 squares, depending on how large you want yours!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

23 Oreo cookies

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

6 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp sour cream, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk

12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with aluminum foil.

2. For the crust: Put the Oreo cookies in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Add the melted butter, and pulse a few times until the crumbs are moistened. Pour into your prepared baking dish, and press down firmly to create an even crust layer. Bake for 10 minutes, and then remove pan from oven, and set aside, leaving the oven on.

3. For the filling: Fit your electric mixture with the paddle attachment, and add the cream cheese. Beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and smooth. Add the sugar, and mix until well-combined. Add the sour cream, vanilla and salt, and mix until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk, and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chopped Oreos, and mix together with a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared baking pan (on top of the crust), and smooth the top to make it even. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until set around the edges, but slightly wobbly in the center. Let cool on a wire rack (in pan), for about an hour, and then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until well-chilled.

5. To cut, use tinfoil to help remove bars from baking dish, and cut into desired amount of pieces. (Refrigerate until ready to serve, and also refrigerate any leftovers.)

Source: Annie’s Eats