I think I have said this before, but I will say it again- I am not a big fan of cheesecake. Give me an apple pie any day! However, my husband and sister love cheesecake and I have grown to really enjoy making them. I love the simplicity of it (the trickiest part is making sure you cook it correctly!). This recipe is from fellow What's Cooking member Melissa of I was Born to Cook. I originally saw this recipe when someone posted for cheesecake recipes on the cooking board. Cannoli is one of my favorite desserts and I thought the adaptation to a cheesecake would be delicious. The only change I made was to use an chocolate cookie crust because I can make it gluten free for Ron. I know there are gluten free graham crackers, but I have not had a chance to use them to see if they have the texture I am looking for. This recipe is really easy to put together and I loved that it didn't require a water bath for baking the cheesecake. I served this to my sister when she came over for a pre-Easter dinner, and then to Ron's family the following day- I always find that a cheesecake feeds a ton of people! I even had a small slice and found this dessert very yummy!
Thank you Melissa for a delicious recipe!
Cannoli Cheesecake
(from Melissa of I was Born to Cook; orginally from Fine Cooking)
Ingredients
18 Oreo cookies
2 Tbl butter, melted
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tbl AP flour
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I increased this slightly)2 Tbl finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (I did not use this)
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tbl AP flour
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I increased this slightly)2 Tbl finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (I did not use this)
Instructions
Position oven rack to middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
Place the Oreo cookies in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag, and crush finely with a rolling pin. Pour in melted butter, and mix until crumbs are coated. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Put paddle attachment on stand mixer. Mix cream cheese, ricotta, flour and salt on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl frequently, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure cheese has no lumps. Add sugar and beat until well blended and smooth.
Add chocolate chips, orange zest and vanilla. Beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, also beating until just blended. Do not overbeat. Pour filling into cooled crust and smooth top.
Bake for about 60-65 minutes. The sides will be puffy and the center will look soft and jiggle. Set on rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve.