Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Yield: 12-16 servings
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Tips: See recipe description for tips. Best baked in a conventional oven. If all you have is a convection oven, see recipe description for convection oven tips.
Suggestion: You can use regular milk chocolate mini chocolate chips or mint-flavored mini chocolate chips with this recipe.
Calling all lovers of chocolate and cheesecake! This Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake recipe makes an incredibly rich and creamy cheesecake that will give you a quadruple dose of chocolate. Melted semi-sweet chocolate chips are mixed in to the cheesecake to give it a wonderful chocolate base, then mini chocolate chips (you can use regular milk chocolate morsels or mint-flavored
morsels) are mixed in just before baking. This chocolaty mixture is then poured into a chocolate wafer pie crust. To top it all off, once the cheesecake is ready to serve, a mildly sweetened whipped cream flavored with a modest amount of powdered cocoa is used to decorate the top, giving this amazing cheesecake the perfect final chocolate touch.
Cheesecakes are very easy to make - the secret is in the baking procedure. This cheesecake is best when baked in a conventional oven. Convection ovens are not recommended, as they can dry out the exterior of the cheesecake. However, If all you have is a convection oven, you can wrap your springform pan with 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil, then place the aluminum foil-wrapped springform pan filled with the cheesecake mixture in a large roasting pan filled with hot water that reaches half-way up the springform pan. This will greatly help to prevent drying and/or cracking of the top during baking. You can use this procedure in a conventional oven as well as a precautionary measure to help maintain moisture. Final note: Make sure there is enough room above the cheesecake to allow for the cheesecake to rise during baking.
Cheesecakes are very easy to make - the secret is in the baking procedure. This cheesecake is best when baked in a conventional oven. Convection ovens are not recommended, as they can dry out the exterior of the cheesecake. However, If all you have is a convection oven, you can wrap your springform pan with 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil, then place the aluminum foil-wrapped springform pan filled with the cheesecake mixture in a large roasting pan filled with hot water that reaches half-way up the springform pan. This will greatly help to prevent drying and/or cracking of the top during baking. You can use this procedure in a conventional oven as well as a precautionary measure to help maintain moisture. Final note: Make sure there is enough room above the cheesecake to allow for the cheesecake to rise during baking.
Recipe▼
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 9-oz. package chocolate wafer cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- Filling
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
- 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 oz. mini milk chocolate chips (or mini mint chocolate chips, if preferred)
- Topping
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons confectioner's (powdered) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Directions
Crust
Place cookie wafers in a food processor or blender and process until finely crushed. Place crumbs in a medium mixing bowl and stir in melted butter until well mixed. Butter the sides only of a 9-inch springform pan. Pour crumbs into the pan and gently press to cover the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan. Set aside.
Filling
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Melt chocolate chips over hot water in a double boiler (alternatively, place chocolate chips in a bowl slightly larger than a saucepan, heat about 1 inch of water in saucepan on low heat and heat chocolate slowly until melted). Stir chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
In an electric mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, salt and sugar. Beat again briefly until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat until fully mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl with spatula after each addition. Add sour cream and beat again until smooth.
Remove bowl from electric mixer and fold in mini morsels. Pour mixture into crust and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. After 15 minutes of cooling, using a thin flat knife, run knife around entire edge of cheesecake to loosen sides from pan (this will allow the sides to settle (shrink down slightly) with the rest of the cheesecake). Cool completely (about 1 hour, 45 minutes), then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate in springform pan overnight. Before serving, remove sides from spring form pan and decorate with Topping (Topping recipe follows). Cheesecake (or portions of the cheesecake) can be frozen and kept frozen until ready to serve. To serve after freezing, remove cheesecake from freezer and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until defrosted yet chilled.
Topping
To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add whipping cream, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and cocoa, and beat with a handheld electric mixer until peaks form. Place whipped topping in a pastry bag with a star tip, then pipe a decorative border around top edge of cheesecake. Use any leftover topping for applying to individual servings. (Alternatively, you can skip the decorating step and simply add a dollop of topping to each individual serving.)
Filling
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Melt chocolate chips over hot water in a double boiler (alternatively, place chocolate chips in a bowl slightly larger than a saucepan, heat about 1 inch of water in saucepan on low heat and heat chocolate slowly until melted). Stir chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
In an electric mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, salt and sugar. Beat again briefly until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat until fully mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl with spatula after each addition. Add sour cream and beat again until smooth.
Remove bowl from electric mixer and fold in mini morsels. Pour mixture into crust and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. After 15 minutes of cooling, using a thin flat knife, run knife around entire edge of cheesecake to loosen sides from pan (this will allow the sides to settle (shrink down slightly) with the rest of the cheesecake). Cool completely (about 1 hour, 45 minutes), then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate in springform pan overnight. Before serving, remove sides from spring form pan and decorate with Topping (Topping recipe follows). Cheesecake (or portions of the cheesecake) can be frozen and kept frozen until ready to serve. To serve after freezing, remove cheesecake from freezer and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until defrosted yet chilled.
Topping
To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add whipping cream, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and cocoa, and beat with a handheld electric mixer until peaks form. Place whipped topping in a pastry bag with a star tip, then pipe a decorative border around top edge of cheesecake. Use any leftover topping for applying to individual servings. (Alternatively, you can skip the decorating step and simply add a dollop of topping to each individual serving.)
