Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Recipe from Table for Two

Last week I had such a craving for Oreos. I had to bring a dessert to my brother-in-law's engagement party and though Oreo cheesecake bars are not the fanciest things in the world, they were really quite delicious! The best part (surprisingly) was the crust! I was wondering why the recipe bothered to grind up Oreos rather than just using Oreo cookie crumbs...but now I know why. The crust had the perfect amount of sweetness from the Oreo icing and it offset the tart cheesecake beautifully! 

What you'll need

For the crust:

23 Oreo cookies

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

How to

1.  Preheat oven to 325F and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang so that it's easy to pull the cheesecake out when done.

2.  To make the crust: in a food processor, pulse the Oreos until they're finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the cookies are moistened. 

3.  Transfer the ground Oreos to the prepared baking pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside, leaving the oven on.

4.  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium high until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar until well-combined.

5.  Blend in the sour cream, vanilla and salt. Beat in the egg and egg yolk until well-incorporated.

6.  Gently stir in the chopped Oreos.

7.  Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the centre.

8.  Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours (or overnight). 

9.  Lift he overhanging parchment paper from the pan and place on a cutting board. Slice into bars, cleaning the knife after each slice to keep the edges pretty.

10.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.