Back in the saddle.

Believe it or not, I do cook pretty much everyday. If I don't, my kids will start eating the furniture. It seems that every time I made something yummy that I wanted to share, my camera batteries were dead. They are rechargeable batteries that I've had forever. They just quit holding a charge, and I have a thing about recipes with no pictures. So, with new batteries, I am ready to get to it!

School starts Monday! I can't believe that I have a 7th grader and 4th grader! Not to mention miss sassy pants that is desperately waiting her turn to go to big girl school.

So on to cooking.

I made a chocolate cheesecake for our back to school sleepover! It is Cullen's favorite too. He really would rather have no cheesecake at all if it's not chocolate. Funny boy. ( This is the same guy who like pork rinds ) GROSS!

So here is my cheesecake! Once again I get the recipe from Taste of Home. I promise I do have some recipes that I came up with myself, but if it ain't broke!



Crust: 
1  1/2 cup Oreo cookie crumbs. (take the white junk out first)
1/4 cup melted butter

Stir crumbs into melted butter and press in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. spring form pan. Cook @ 350 for ten min. Cool on a wire rack. ( or whatever )

Filling:

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3  8oz packages of cream cheese ( softened )
1 cup sugar ( or 3/4 cup honey )
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3 eggs, room temp, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Melt choc chips in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cream until smooth. Remove from heat. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar or honey until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs. Beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Extra tip: You can do a few different things to keep your cheesecake from cracking while it's in the oven. Wrap the pan in foil. Use a baking sheet with a lip on it and pour about 1-in of water around the cheesecake.

When it is done cooking, turn off the oven and leave it in there for about 10 min. Then open the oven door and let the cheesecake cool slowly.

Carefully mix in the eggs. If they are over beaten they will cause the cake to crack.

If none of these things work and your cake still cracks, slap some cool whip on that bad boy! No one will ever know!