Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie Dough Cream together very well: 1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Fold in just until a dough forms: 1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour pinch salt Finally mix in: 1 cup chocolate chips Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.

Break off small nuggets of the dough about the size of the top of your forefinger. Place them on a parchment lined tray and keep chilled in the fridge. About 3/4 of these dough nuggets will go into the cheesecake batter. Reserve the other 1/4 to garnish the cheesecake after it is baked, cooled and glazed.

Cookie Crumb Crust In a small bowl, combine: 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs 3 tbsp sugar 1/3 cup melted butter Press into the bottom of a lightly greased or parchment lined 9 inch spring form pan. (Grease bottom only!) Parchment paper is ideal here because it makes it very easy to release the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

Vanilla Cheesecake Cream together: 2 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese 2/3 cup sugar Add, one at a time 2 eggs beating well after each addition. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract Finally blend in 1/2 cup whipping cream

Fold in 3/4 of the chilled cookie dough pieces. Pour over the prepared base and bake at 300 degrees F for 60 - 70 minutes. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point. Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature.

(NOT in the fridge). Refrigerate after fully cooled. Top with chocolate ganache and vanilla whipped cream as well as the reserved cookie dough pieces.

Chocolate Ganache In a small saucepan, heat almost to boiling: 1/3 cup whipping cream Remove from heat and pour in 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour evenly over the cheesecake when it is still in the pan. Return to the fridge to let the chocolate set.

Vanilla Whipped Cream 1 cup whipping cream 3 rounded tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract Beat to firm peaks and use to garnish the edges of the cheesecake. If you don't have a piping bag just cut a half inch opening off the corner of a large Ziploc bag and use that to squeeze the whipped cream onto the cheesecake.