This is one of my favorite dessert recipes from my Secret Layer Cakes Cookbook, and it will have little cookie monsters jumping for joy everywhere! When I was little, Cookie Monster was one of my favorite Sesame Street characters. Probably because I could relate to him in the way that he devoured his cookies with gusto, and the way he talked. And I still love cookies and still sound like him, when I’m tipsy at least, so I guess I could still relate to him. Although I always found it weird why he couldn’t just eat the damn cookies and not spill crumbs everywhere… Little me was appalled at that wastage. This Cookie Monster Cheesecake, featured in my recently released cookbook Secret Layer Cakes is an ode to that lovable muppet. It’s got a fudgy and chewy chocolate chip cookie base, and a delightfully creamy cookies and cream cheesecake loaded with crushed Oreo cookies, and then coated with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, and topped with more mini chocolate chip cookies! Om nom nom nom! I’m totally not biased when I say this, but if you haven’t gotten your hands on a copy of Secret Layer Cakes, then you really really should! 🙂 That is, if you like combining a fantastic array of delicious flavors and textures and different types of dessert into outrageously inventive (if I say so myself, heehee) cakes (that’s where the idea of secret layers comes from!), that are also surprisingly easy. I have tried to give as clear and detailed instructions as possible, and there are 60 recipes in the book for cheesecakes, no bake cakes, ice cream cakes and all types of dessert mash ups, like this Fudgy S’mores Brownie Pie here. My goal was to depart from boring, everyday cake flavors and textures, and present something that was truly exciting and worthy of a celebration. Baking a cake isn’t just a routine thing for most of us like pouring yourself a cup of coffee in the morning, so I wanted to make these recipes as inspiring, creative and exciting as I could. So that you too would really, truly, madly, deeply want to make these cakes to celebrate those special moments in yours and your loved ones’ lives! Every cake recipe in this book is a marriage of different flavors and textures with a surprise element embedded in the cake that you couldn’t see from the outside. This Cookie Monster Cheesecake features a deliciously fudgy, chewy chocolate chip cookie blondie base, instead of the standard cookie crust in cheesecakes. Plus, the creamy, bright blue cheesecake layer is studded with an abundance of Oreo cookies! And as I mentioned, these cakes really are deceptively simple to make. I’m pretty sure Cookie Monster would approve.
My best tips for making this Cookie Monster Cheesecake
Start making the cookie monster cheesecake a day ahead. This cheesecake is a two day process that involves more chilling time than work. Once the cake has been ganached, it can be eaten immediately (or stored for another day). First day – make the cookie blondie base, and the cookies and cream cheesecake. Once baked, loosen the cooled down cheesecake and chill it overnight. Second day – make the chocolate ganache and spread it over the cheesecake. Decorate the surface with store-bought mini chocolate chip cookies. Adjust the cooking time for this cookie monster cheesecake according to your pan size. This recipe is made at a standard 8 inch size. However, if you only have a 9 inch pan, you can still use it. This way you will get a cheesecake that is not as tall as this one, and it will also cook faster. This is especially important with the cookie layer. The cookie layer will become crumbly if over-baked. You want to end up with an almost fudgy and chewy cookie layer. It’s better to under-bake the cookie layer! The goal is to have a fudgy/chewy layer. Since the cookie layer is going to be baked first (without the cheesecake), make sure it’s not over-baked during that first baking period. Prepare the cake pan properly. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with foil to avoid any water getting into the cake! This is really IMPORTANT! Even if you use a push pan or a springform pan or a water-proof springform pan, it’s important to wrap the bottom and the sides with foil. I double wrap it with two pieces of foil that cover the bottom as well as the sides of the cake pan. This way, water from the water bath won’t seep into the cake and create a soggy mess.
For more of my tried and true recipe tips for making absolutely perfect cheesecakes every single time, check out my detailed New York Cheesecake recipe post as well.
More tips for ensuring perfect cheesecake without any cracks
All the ingredients should be at room temperature. Mix the cream cheese with other ingredients, EXCEPT for the eggs, until it’s creamy and has no lumps. Cornstarch (cornflour) is added to help make the batter more cohesive as well. The starch in the cornstarch makes the cheesecake batter more stable. Once the eggs are added, whisk the mixture on low speed or with a hand mix until it’s well mixed. This is the stage where you could potentially over-mix the batter and introduce too much air. The more air that’s introduced, the cheesecake will rise too much in the oven and fall, causing cracks in the cheesecake. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. The water bath will regulate the heat, making sure the cheesecake bakes slowly and evenly, further preventing cheesecake cracks (like I’ve discussed in this perfect cheesecake recipe post).
These tips on how to make perfect cheesecakes should come in handy for any cheesecake, not only this cookie monster cheesecake. So make sure you save these tips for other cheesecake recipes as well.
Cookie Monster Cheesecake Recipe Video
RECIPE VIDEO FOR THIS COOKIE MONSTER CHEESECAKE RECIPE
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