Must Try Cheesecake

I found this recipe here, this is not my picture but doesn't it look absolutely amazing?? Now wipe up the drool from your keyboard, and let's go get our cheesecake on! The Bryce-man always asks and bugs me about why I don't make cheesecakes anymore. And I kindly said "Sweetheart, the man that I love, I'll tell you why!" There is only 2 of us around here you know. 2 sweet toothed foodies + 1 giant cheesecake = The reason I gained 10 pounds the first year we were married. Helloooo, why do you think I don't make them anymore? Are we not going to Maui this month and you want me to make what??? Sigh...but he is so cute when he begs and I'll most likely give in to my own cravings anyways... and I think this is the one I am going to try next, you know to get some peace and quiet around here. Momentarily that is.

She has topped hers with a chocolate ganache, you can whip your own up with good chocolate, heavy cream and butter.


Crust
20 Oreo cookies or similar chocolate sandwich cookie, crushed fine
1/4 cup melted butter + 2 Tbsp.

Cheesecake

6 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each, room temperature

2 cup sugar

5 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. melted quality dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Add melted chocolate to remanding batter and mix until fully blended. Pour into the middle of the pan, on top of the plain batter. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, in the shallow water bath, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.