for crust : 1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs or 20 crumbled
Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup margarine, melted for filling :
½ cup raspberry preserves
¼ cup water
4 x 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
1¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 tspn vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 oz white chocolate, chopped into chunks for garnish :
2 oz white chocolate, shaved
whipped cream
Preparation & Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about ½" of water
into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.
Combine the raspberry preserves with ¼ cup water in a medium microwave-safe
bowl. Heat for 1½ minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth.
Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the strained
preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later.
Measure 1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs, or crush 20 Oreo cookie
wafers ( with the filling scraped out ) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup
melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9" spring form pan that has been
lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a drinking
glass or similar, press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan
and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom
of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your
freezer until the filling is done.
Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour
cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are
smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the
eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend
the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.
Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 oz of white chocolate
chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling
into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of
the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese.
Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream
cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.
Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for
12 minutes at 475°F, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for
50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or
tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake
is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it
in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 oz
of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions.
Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.
