Snickers Cheesecake

I was once again asked to donate a dessert for the LOVE INC. (Love in the Name of Christ) banquet and dessert gala (auction) last night.  It was held at the Oskaloosa Christian School and from what I hear it was a successful night.  Kelli and my 7th grade GEMS girls earned their babysitting badge while babysitting for some of the children of the parents who attended the banquet.  We had a full room of children (between 15-20) but it went very well.  The GEMS girls did a fantastic job of taking care of the children and entertaining them. 

 

I am not a huge cheesecake fan (just because it's usually so, so, so, so, so, so rich) but I really thought this sounded good so I made one last week and took it to our winter worship potluck.  And like all the other cheesecakes I've had it was RICH!  But I decided to make it for the dessert auction anyway!  So if you like RICH desserts, this ones for you!  :)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

For the crust:

30 (1 - 15.35 oz. pkg.) Oreo cookies

6 T. butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 325*.  In the bowl of a food processor, process the cookies until they are finely ground crumbs.  Add the butter and pulse until moistened.  Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the cheesecake filling:

32 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

5 large eggs

1 1/2 c. lightly packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 t. vanilla

18 fun-size Snickers bars (1 - 11.8 oz. pkg.), coarsely chopped

 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth.  Add in the sugar, cream, and vanilla and beat until combined.  Be careful not to overbeat.  Stir in the Snickers bars.  Pour the batter into the cooled crust.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until set and the top looks slightly dry.  If the middle is slightly wobbly, that's fine.  It's better to have it under baked than over baked.  Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack.  Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.  Release the cheesecake from the pan onto a cake stand or serving plate.

 

For the topping:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. heavy cream

9 fun-size Snickers bars, coarsely chopped

Caramel topping

Homemade whipped cream (see recipe below)

 

Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl.  In a small saucepan heat the cream just until simmering.  Pour over the chocolate chips.  Let sit for 3 minutes before stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Pour over the cheesecake, allowing to drip down the sides.  Sprinkle the Snickers over the cheesecake.  Drizzle with caramel topping.  Decorate edges of cheesecake with the whipped cream.  Drizzle on more caramel topping.  Serve or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Homemade Whipped Cream:

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar, sifted

1 t. vanilla extract

 

Freeze metal bowl and whisk for 15-20 minutes to get them good and cold.  Remove bowl from freezer and add whipping cream and powdered sugar.  Whip on medium speed for a few minutes.  Cream will initially bubble a little bit, then start to thicken.  As the cream starts to thicken, add the vanilla extract.  Whip until soft peaks form, for a total whipping time of about 5-7 minutes.  when you remove the whisk and get little peaks that barely tip over, you are done.  Make sure not to over mix!  It quickly goes from smooth whipped cream to curdled whipped cream, so watch it closely.