Red Velvet Ganache Cheesecake

• 20 Oreo Cookies (You may use any brand chocolate sandwich cookie) Everyone knows how good Oreos are, though.
• ¼ cup butter, melted Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by spraying with baking spray. In a food processor or blender, crush Oreo cookies. Leave the crème filling in the cookie, while crushing. Mix the melted butter and Oreo cookie crumbs together. Press crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan. Place in the fridge while preparing the cheese cake.
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten well
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, sifted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Beat the 3 packages of cream cheese, adding the

granulated sugar gradually and beat till light and fluffy. Add eggs, sifted cocoa*,

sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, white vinegar and the food color. While

mixing, scrape mixing bowl often so that all ingredients are incorporated

thoroughly. Pour into prepared Oreo crust.

Bake at 325-degrees for only 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 300-degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes until the center of the cheesecake will jiggle but the perimeter of the cake will be firm to the touch. Take a knife and very carefully run along the out edge of the cake. Now turn the oven off and let the cake sit in the oven with the door of the oven closed for 30 minutes. Take out of oven and cool while still in the pan for 30 minutes.

Then cover with a single layer of wax paper on top of the cheesecake pan and place in the fridge. Chill for 8 hours. After cooling for 8 hours, prepare the Cream Cheese topping.

• 1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• Beat 8-ounces of cream cheese
• with the softened butter till fluffy,
• add the confectioner’s sugar
• gradually, beating until creamy.
• Blend in the vanilla extract and milk. Beat on high with mixer till light and fluffy.

While cake is still in the pan, frost the cake with the icing. You just want to ice the top of the cake. Now take the cake out of the springform pan, lifting off the sides of the cake pan, carefully. Place cake on a serving plate.

• 1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1/8-1/4cup half-and-half cream (just to consistency of drizzling on top of cheesecake)

For the Ganache topping, just melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan on low heat, adding the cream. Stir. To obtain the consistency of drizzling on the cheesecake, you may have to add just a touch more cream. Now take a teaspoon

and just drizzle the Ganache topping, however, you want to on the top of the Cheesecake. Another thing I like about cooking is the creativity involved.