Oreos...But No Dunking Allowed!

Cheesecake, or should I say baking altogether is a nemesis of mine. I can make no-bake cheesecakes, but why not the real thing? I have tried making a baked cheesecake from scratch 4 times now....either resulting in it being burnt to the bottom of the pan, the crust falling off, not cooked through....and everything in between. It wasn't pretty...and this one isn't exactly either.

I saw this cheesecake on BakingBlonde's blog, and it looked amazing, different and very challenging (for me). I paid meticulous attention to every instruction...except for "Watch carefully and do not over bake." In my defense, I was also making two other dishes for dinner, and I looked at the cheesecake at the 44 minute mark (6 minutes before the minimum time). It was dark, especially around the edges, but the the inside was perfect, as well as the crust stayed together and didn't burn.

Lesson learned - check on your baked goods often, don't rely on timers. Everyone's oven bakes differently!



Oreo Cheesecake
from Baking Blonde's Weblog

2 cups Oreo Cookie crumbs
3 TBS butter, melted
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 TBS flour
3 large eggs
1 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
15 Oreo Cookies, quartered
Oreo cookies for garnish if desired.

Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease 9-inch springform pan. Fill an oven safe cake pan (I use a 9×9) 3/4 full with warm water. Set on bottom oven rack while oven is preheating.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine Oreo crumbs and butter, stir to combine. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and increase oven temperature to 350.

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add sugar and flour, beat to combine.

Add eggs one at a time beating only to combine after each addition. When adding the third egg, also add the lime juice and vanilla extract; beat until combined.

Using a spatula, gently fold in the quartered Oreo cookies. Gently pour batter evenly into prebaked crust. *You can arrange Oreo cookie pieces over top of batter for a pretty presentation if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-65 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Watch carefully and do not overbake. Shut oven off and allow cheesecake to cool in oven for 1-4 hours.

Run a warm knife around edge of cheesecake after 1 hour. Place in fridge to cool completely. (Remove the pan of water) Allow to chill at least 24 hours before serving for best flavor and texture.

~~~Advice from Mrs.Sac - serve with plenty of cold milk!~~~