Chocolate Cheese Cake

Well, we all loved Celeste's recipe for the original cheese cake. But, look what I found!! I'm so excited about this recipe. It was from the Spanish Fork Press, and when I made it, I bought the ingredients an hour before I made it, so my cream cheese wasn't completely room temperature. So, there were little teeny-tiny chunks in it, but it still tasted divine!!!

Crust:
20 crushed Oreos
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (the author likes 1/2 milk chocolate, 1/2 semi-sweet)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps vanilla
8 oz sour cream
2 - 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp melted butter

Smash Oreos completely in a medium sized bowl. Combine with cinnamon and 1/4 cup melted butter,, press into bottom of greased 9-inch springform pan. (If you don't have a springform pan, just use another shallow 9-inch baking dish. The springform pan makes it easier to serve.) Melt chocolate in microwave--check often, so you don't cook it. Set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream. Add cream cheese. Blend in melted chocolate and butter. Pour into crust. Bake at 325 for 55-65 minutes (maybe even more) until surface loses "shine" and contents don't jiggle when jostled. Cool at room temperature a few hours (helps prevent cracks), chill in refrigerator. Flavors blend and texture "mellows" if allowed to "age" at least three days--really.

This cheese cake is shallower than Celeste's cheese cake. That one goes clear to the top of the springform pan, this only goes about 1/2 way. Also, I didn't add cinnamon in my crust. I was a little nervous to. Give it a go!