Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake

Makes 16 servings

​INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1⁄2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (about 18 to 23 cookies finely chopped)

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 1⁄2 lbs cream cheese

• 1 cup sugar

• 5 large eggs

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

• 8 ounces sour cream

• 5 Oreo cookies (coarsely chopped for the batter)

• 9 whole Oreo cookies, for garnish on top of cheese cake

• whipped cream or cool whip piped into spirals for decoration on top of cheese cake

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix melted butter with Oreo crumbs and press in the bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Cover bottom and 1/2-1 inch up the sides with crumbs. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

• All ingredients need to be at room temperature before beginning.

• Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.

• Keep mixer on a low setting during the mixing and beating process.

• Add sugar gradually and continue beating cream cheese until mixed through.

• Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat until blended.

• Stir vanilla, salt and flour into cream cheese and egg mixture.

• Add the sour cream.

• Turn off the mixer and gently stir in the 5 coarsely chopped Oreo cookies with a spoon.

• Pour mixture into springform pan; top with the 7-9 remaining coarsely chopped cookies.

• Place pan on top rack and in the middle of a preheated oven at 325 degrees and bake for 60- 75 minutes or until it jiggles slightly in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.

• Turn off the oven, prop the door open several inches and let the cheese cake stay in the oven for one hour.

• Cool on wire rack.

• When cool, refrigerate for 24 hours.