Cookies n Cream Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

For Crust:
- 2 cups Oreo Cookie Crumbs or Chocolate Wafer Crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

For Filling (all filling ingredients should be room temperature)
- 32 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Oreo Cookies, crushed

For Chocolate Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 cups Semisweet Chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

- Whole Oreo Cookies (for decorating top of cake)

DIRECTIONS:

For Crust:
- Mix 2 cups cookie crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Place heavy duty foil on the bottom and up the sides of the outside of a 10 inch springform pan. This is so water does not get into the pan when baking in a water bath.
- Firmly press the crust mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes and set aside.

For Filling:
- Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and no lumps.
- Beat in 1 1/4 cups sugar and beat well.
- Add 1/3 cup heavy cream, flour, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat well.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each additions. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Fold crushed oreos into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Prepare water bath. Pour boiling water into a large casserole dish/roasting pan and place in the oven. Place pan into the boiling water. The water should only go about halfway up the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until set. It should jiggle slightly when shaked. Do not overbake or it will crack. Oven times vary, so keep an eye on it.
- Turn oven off and remove cheesecake/water bath from oven. Remove cheesecake from water bath, and return cheesecake to oven. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 20 minutes to set uniformly. Leave the oven door slightly ajar by placing a wooden spoon at the opening.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. While it is cooling, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake.

For Chocolate Glaze:
- Place chopped chocolate in a bowl.
- Heat heavy cream over medium heat until just about to boil.
- Pour heavy cream onto chocolate and let sit about 2 minutes. Then stir with a whisk until shiny and smooth.
- Pour mixture over cheesecake while still warm.

- Refrigerate cheesecake for 8 hours before serving. I like to remove it from the refrigerator an hour before I'm ready to serve.
- Remove ring from springform pan, and decoratively place whole oreo cookies on the cheesecake.

- Slice, serve, and enjoy!