Out of all the weird and ridiculous national food holidays our country celebrates (or at least acknowledges), National Cheesecake Day is a day we should all take seriously. With all the varieties and forms of cheesecake, there's a flavor or style out there for everyone to enjoy on this creamy holiday.
If you don't have the chance to make it out to the Cheesecake Factory for half-off cheesecakes and taste their debut cheesecake (OREO Dream Extreme Cheesecake), then you can make this easy at-home rendition.
Rather than making one cheesecake in a spring-form pan, these are little cheesecakes baked in a cupcake pan.
Start by preheating your oven to 225 degrees, and place paper tins into the pan. Place one Oreo into each tin to serve as the crust of the cheesecake. The Oreo cookies fit perfectly in the muffin tin, so they will support the rest of the cheesecake well.
Now begin to make the cheesecake filling. So, of course start by creaming your cream cheese in a stand mixer. Once the cream cheese is smooth and slightly fluffy, slowly add the sugar and blend together. After you have incorporated the sugar with the cream cheese, add vanilla extract and beat into the mixture.
With the mixer stirring the cream cheese, slowly pour the beaten eggs and completely incorporate them into the filling. Finally, add sour cream to give the mixture a slightly tangy flavor in contrast to the sweetened cream cheese.
Use a rolling pin to crush several Oreo cookies in a plastic bag and add the Oreo cookie crumbles to the filling. Add as many as you want; you just want the filling to look like cookies and cream.
Fill each of the paper tins to the top and bake for approximately 22 to 28 minutes, or until the tops no longer jiggle back and forth. Place the cheesecakes in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
This is an easy recipe that will satisfy those cheesecake cravings.
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