Triple-Layer Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Chocolate sandwich cookies show up three ways: pressed into a buttery crust, folded in chunks through a dense vanilla cheesecake, and crowned whole around the edge. Baked in a water bath at low heat so it sets creamy and crack-free — the most forgiving cheesecake you'll make, and the one kids ask for by name.

Ingredients

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (about 250 g), filling on
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 32 oz full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature (four 8-oz packages)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 12 chocolate sandwich cookies, broken into rough 1/2-inch chunks

• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 chocolate sandwich cookies, whole
• 2 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed fine, for dusting

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan in two overlapping layers of heavy-duty foil, pressing tightly so no water can seep in. Lightly butter the inside of the pan.
2. Make the crust: pulse the 24 cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs (or seal in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin). Add the melted butter and pinch of salt and pulse until the crumbs look like damp soil. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to compact it. Bake 10 minutes, then cool on a rack while you make the filling. Leave the oven on.
3. Put a kettle or large pot of water on to heat for the water bath.
4. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium-low for 2 minutes until completely smooth with no lumps, scraping the bowl and paddle twice. Add the sugar, flour and salt and beat 2 minutes more on medium-low.
5. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time on the lowest speed, mixing only until each disappears — about 15 seconds each. Overbeating whips in air, which causes cracks. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times by hand with a spatula.
6. Fold in the 12 cookie chunks by hand with 3 or 4 gentle strokes — you want visible pieces, not a gray batter. Pour over the cooled crust and smooth the top; tap the pan gently on the counter to release large bubbles.
7. Set the foil-wrapped pan inside a large roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes 1 inch up the sides. Bake at 325°F for 70 to 80 minutes, until the outer 2 inches look set and the center 3 inches still jiggle as one soft unit when nudged (an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 150°F).
8. Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour. Lift it out of the water bath, remove the foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then cover and chill at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
9. Run a thin knife dipped in hot water around the inside edge, then release and remove the springform ring. Whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes on medium-high.
10. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top, stand the 10 whole cookies upright around the outer edge like a crown, and dust the center with the finely crushed cookies. Slice with a hot, dry knife, wiping between cuts.
11. Serve cold. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 4 days; the cookies in the batter soften into a brownie-like texture by day two, which is not a flaw.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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