Oreo Cheesecake

For cookies and cream fanatics, there’s nothing better than Oreo Cheesecake. Cookies and cream ice cream is pretty amazing, but better suited for hot summer days. The rest of the year you could make something like Oreo brownies or a cookies and cream cake, but nothing truly embraces the spirit of cookies and cream quite like a velvety Oreo Cheesecake.

This Oreo Cheesecake starts with an Oreo crust filled with a baked cheesecake filling mixed with crushed Oreos. After cooling, the top of the cake is coated with smooth white chocolate ganache and decorated with whipped cream and even more Oreos. It’s indulgent, nostalgic, and unmistakably cookies and cream.

How to Bake a Cheesecake in a Water Bath

A water bath is the secret to making a luxurious, velvety cheesecake. Sure, you can skip the water bath and still make a delightful cheesecake, but the improved texture is worth the extra step. A water bath serves a dual purpose: It raises the humidity of the oven preventing a crust from forming on top, and it heats the cheesecake slowly and evenly for a silkier texture.

To use a water bath, you will need a pan larger than the springform cake pan. You can use a larger cake pan, a roasting pan, a Dutch oven, or even a large foil roasting pan. Wrap the outside of the springform pan with several layers of aluminum foil, then set it in the roasting pan.

Springform pans are not water-tight, so the foil helps keep the water out. Place the nested pans in the preheated oven and carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Then close the oven, bake, and await an extra luscious cheesecake.

Soften the Cream Cheese to Room Temperature

To make the smoothest cheesecake, soften the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing. Beat cream cheese with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed before adding the eggs to ensure it’s perfectly smooth and lump-free. If it’s not softened and blended first, the batter will have lumps that remain in the cake once baked.

How Can I Prevent My Cheesecake from Cracking?

Cracks form when a cheesecake over bakes or when it undergoes temperature changes too quickly. While cracks affect the appearance of your cake, it won’t actually affect the taste too much unless the cake is severely overbaked. Chances are, even if the cake cracks, it will still taste excellent. That said, there are a few techniques you can try to prevent cracking for a perfectly smooth cheesecake.

• Mix the cheesecake batter on low or medium-low speed. Beating at too high a speed incorporates too much air into the batter. The air will expand during baking and collapse as the cake cools, causing cracks to form.
• Cheesecakes benefit from low, slow, even baking. Bake the cheesecake at 325°F and use a water bath if you can.
• If you have a convection oven, it’s best not to use the fan or convection function for cheesecakes, since they’re more prone to overbaking.
• When you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool in the water bath for an hour before letting it cool on a rack. This lets the cake cool more gradually, so it's less likely to crack. If you skipped the water bath, let it cool in the oven with the door ajar for 30 minutes.
• Even if your cheesecake cracks, it will still be delicious. Plus, you can disguise the cracks under a layer of white chocolate ganache so no one will know.

Tips and Tricks for an Irresistible Oreo Cheesecake

Making a cheesecake can be a lot of work, but there are a few easy things you can do along the way to ensure you make an irresistible cheesecake worth all the effort.

• This recipe was designed to use the exact number of cookies in a family pack of Oreos (48 cookies). But if you’re the type of person that tosses in extra add-ins for good measure, or you can’t resist a sample (for quality assurance, of course), then go for two standard packs of Oreos instead.
• The easiest way to crush the Oreos is in a food processor. If you don't have one, don't let that stop you, though. You can also place the Oreos in a large freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
• Use softened blocks of full-fat cream cheese. Don't use low-fat cream cheese or the cream cheese that comes in a tub. These types have a higher moisture content than the brick cream cheese, which will affect the texture of the cheesecake.
• To check if the cheesecake is done baking, give it a gentle shake. The cheesecake should still have a bit of movement in the center when it’s done baking. It should jiggle slightly but not slosh like liquid. Ovens all behave differently, so it's okay to peak once you get close to the end of the baking time.
• If the cheesecake begins to crack at all while baking, you can skip the rest of the baking time and move on to the cooling step.
• For the ganache, you can use either white chocolate chips or finely chop a bar of white chocolate. White chocolate chips are more convenient, but bars are generally cheaper per ounce. They both work equally well.

Storage Instructions

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also freeze the cheesecake without the toppings for up to a month. The frozen cheesecake can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 3 to 4 hours.

You can also freeze individual slices of cheesecake for an easy dessert later. Wrap slices well in plastic wrap, then in foil and freeze. Thaw unwrapped slices in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

More Cheesecake Recipes to Try

• Perfect Cheesecake
• Lemon Cheesecake
• Easy Instant Pot Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
• Pumpkin Cheesecake