Oreo cheesecake with reduced sugar content.

If you're lazy, or out of equipment (like me) to crush the cookies for cheesecake base, which always discourages me from making cheesecakes, then head on to your nearest baking supplies store for a packet of cookie crumbs. I was lucky to have Oreo crumbs at the store I visit regularly. This means I had to omit the filling that was called for in the original recipe, which I was okay with - less sugar, you see!

I also reduced more than half of the sugar and almost doubled the recipe to use up 500 grams of cream cheese. I thought the taste was just fine.

Recipe adapted from Oreo Cheesecake Bars by Table for Two.

Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

For the cookie base:

70 g Oreo crumbs

2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix well the crumbs and butter, then press onto the base of an 8" pan. Bake for 5 minutes.

For the cheesecake:

500 g cream cheese

30 g granulated sugar (use twice the amount for added sweetness)

200 g sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 medium eggs & 1 yolk

50 g Oreo crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 165°C. 

2. Beat the cheese until smooth, then add in the sugar and beat until it is smooth again.

3. Mix the sour cream and vanilla essence with the cheese mixture.

4. Beat in the eggs and yolk.

5. Stir in the crumbs until they are just distributed through the batter. Don't overmix.

6. Pour batter onto the cookie base. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Leave the cake to cool in the oven for an hour. Remove from the oven and chill in the fridge.

For the ganache:

20 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

1 tsp milk

Microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir the mixture until smooth. If it's too thick, thin it with more milk or thicken it with more chocolate, and microwave for another 20 seconds. You may need to let it cool to your preferred consistency.

Pour the ganache over the room temperature or chilled cheesecake and let it set in the fridge. It will thicken as it cools.