It was my boyfriend’s birthday last weekend and I wanted to make him something special despite the fact that he didn’t really want to celebrate his birthday. The problem is that he doesn’t like many traditional desserts, most especially cake. I can’t even conceive of disliking cake, but somehow he does. Thankfully, though, he does love cheesecake (which he vehemently insists is not really a cake, so much does the taint of the word “cake” bother him). But even having found a dessert he actually likes, he’s almost impossible to entirely please because every single cheesecake I’ve made for him in the past, though always praised as “good” comes with the disclaimer of “but not as good as the New York cheesecake I had that one time”. AAARRRRRRGGGGGGG! So I have made it my mission to find and make a real New York-style cheesecake and this time I think I found it. I actually got an “I really like this” out of him, no disclaimers!
This is sort of a mish-mash of a recipe. I cobbled together a recipe from several cheesecake recipes over on allrecipes.com (it’s mostly based on this recipe, though), but I didn’t want a boring graham cracker crust, so I modified a standard crust recipe and used ground up Oreo cookies instead (Brandon loves Oreos!). Also, I followed the instructions of some of the commenters on the recipes, so in the end, the final recipe doesn’t resemble the original one that much. But it’s delicious and from what I can tell it’s true New York-style cheesecake and the best thing of all is that it’s the only cheesecake I’ve ever made that didn’t crack down the middle. In fact, when it came out of the oven I was a little worried because it doesn’t look like any cheesecake I’ve ever made. It kind of looked undercooked actually*, but no, it’s the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake I’ve ever had. This is definitely my cheesecake recipe for life.
*UPDATE – 12/4/08: After making this recipe again, I tried a slightly different way to cook this that solves the problem of it looking undercooked. It also makes it more like a real New York-style cheesecake by browning the top and sides just a bit.
If you like this New York-style cheesecake recipe, check out these variations:
- Black and White Chocolate Cheesecake Supreme
- Swirled Caramel and Pumpkin Cheesecake Supreme
- Cherry-topped Cheesecake Supreme
- Peppermint Bark Cheesecake Supreme Cheesecake Supreme
- Oreo Cheesecake Supreme
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Supreme
- Citrus Swirled Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Cheesecake Supreme with Oreo Cookie Crust
adapted from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
Crust
- 2-3 cups Oreo cookies with cream center removed, finely ground*
- 6 -8 tbsp. of butter*
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Cheesecake
- 5 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature**
- 5 eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature
Process
Make the crust: Grind up cookies in a blender or food processor. Mix cookies, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl until combined and press into the bottom and about an inch or two up the sides of a 10″ springform pan (springform pan is key, make sure you have one).
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let crust cool completely while you make the cheesecake.
Important: TURN OFF YOUR OVEN, it should not be preheated when you put your cheesecake in.
Mix the filling: In a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, whisk together cream cheese, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. (It’s okay if you still have some very small lumps.)
Add in the sugar, flour, and heavy cream and mix on low speed until fully incorporated about 1-2 minutes. Do not over-mix as this will create more air bubbles which can contribute to your cake cracking.
Bake: Pour batter into your prepared crust. Gently tap the pan against your counter a few times to help get any possible air bubbles out of the batter.
Place your cheesecake in the oven and then turn it on to 400 degrees (F). Bake for 15 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 200 degrees (F). Bake for 3 hours.
Turn the oven off, prop open the door slightly, and let cool for 1 hour.
Finally, cover the top with plastic wrap, place it in your refrigerator, and chill for a full 24 hours before removing the springform pan’s side and serving.
Recipe Notes
*Use 2 cups ground Oreos and 6 tbsp. butter for a flat crust. Use 3 cups ground Oreos and 8 tbsp. of butter to add crust around the sides of your pan.
**Your cream cheese should be very soft to get the smoothest batter with the least amount of mixing time. I usually leave my cream cheese sitting on the counter all day or even overnight.
That looks amazing! I love Oreo cookie crusts. I bet this would taste good – look how many eggs & cream cheese it has! I don’t think I’ve ever baked a cheesecake at such a low temperature, and for so long. I’ll have to try this method.
I’m with your boyfriend! this post made me smile. LOVE the site!!
definitely subscribing! 🙂
Cheesecake…my all time favorite dessert 🙂
Excellent Recipe! LOL, ‘the New York Cheesecake’ is something i’d also had to live up to with my family, so ignore it. :p
Awesome site.
I tried this recipe because, like your boyfriend, I love a proper New York style cheesecake. The addition of the Oreo cookie crust sold me completely.
On trying the finished product, however, I have to say that, while DELICIOUS, this really was not what I would call a real NY style cake. I found this cake way too creamy, almost gooey.
A real NY style cake is dense and heavy, but ever so slightly more crumbly and flakier (I suppose it is drier). If you look at all of the recipes that purport to be the “Authentic original Lindy’s Cheesecake” – the gold standard cake by which all others appear to be judged – all of the recipes suggest baking the cake in a VERY hot (500 degrees) pre-heated oven for a short time (10-15 minutes), then turning down the heat to bake for an hour plus more. I suppose this blast of intense heat is what makes most cheesecakes crack, but putting a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven should solve that problem, (as doing so essentially turns your oven into a steam oven). The intense heat gives the classic cheesecake a golden “crust” that your slow-baked cake did not have. Whereas some folks might like that, I thought your cake suffered a bit for this, and seemed undercooked.
This is not to say that the taste of yours was unappealing, I just thought the unctious creaminess was not what was intended for the classic New York cake.
I have to disagree with you.I made this recipe with perfect results.Not every oven is the same and unless your temps are just right, any recipe won’t work for yours all the time.Trial and error I say.I’ve been baking professionally for 15 years. and so know this all to well.All you have to do is adjust the heat a little bit higher if your cheesecake is to creamy.Mine turned out nice but I callibrate my oven every year as they are known to lose a bit of there heat over time.
Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never had REAL New York Cheesecake and I know my boyfriend hasn’t had any for at least 15 years, so he certainly isn’t an expert either. I do think whatever you want to call it, it’s the best cheesecake I’ve ever made before and I’ve tried several different recipes.
Actually, though, the original recipe I linked to did call for a high temp for the first 10 minutes and then to turn it way down, but almost all the commenters warned against this which is why I didn’t do it that way. I’ll try it that way next time and see if I like it better or not.
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Hey,
I’m just asking if you know a good recipe for a cheesecake. It has to be without nuts and without cream. I’m making it for a really big morning tea at school. I would like a cheesecake that would be liked by children.
Well, honestly, this is the only cheesecake recipe I have. I threw all my old ones out because I LOVE this one so much. If you need to find one without cream, I’d recommend looking on recipe sites like allrecipes.com or recipezaar.com, you’ll find tons of different cheesecake recipes on those and you should be able to find one to your specifications.
I don’t know anything about NY cheesecakes but I love the “undercooked” look of yours, it looks almost like a non-bake cheesecake. Or like a big wonderful cheese! I’ve already made four cheesecakes last month so I’ll hold off for a while but I’m definitely bookmarking this one.
I LOVE this recipe! I made it for my sister-in-law’s wedding in December, and I’m so glad to see your post about the baking temp update – I too have been concerned about the slightly-underbaked look (although it is truly delicious). Thanks a bunch for the tip!
I recently made it with a strawberry topping – delish! Here’s the link: https://thesharpnotes.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/strawberry-cheesecake/
.-= Leigh Ann´s last blog ..Sweet Baby =-.
I want to try this recipe with the cooking modifications you made. Just one question. When you say to turn the oven on to 400 and cook for 10 minutes, do you mean 10 minutes from the time you put it in the oven, or 10 minutes after the temperature reaches 400? My oven takes a while to get that hot, so I want to make sure it gets enough of a blast of high heat. Thanks for your recipe!
No, you don’t need to preheat the oven. Just put it in there and turn the oven on. The initial high temp basically just browns the top and sides a bit so it looks nicer (and not undercooked). You could probably keep it at 400 for about 15 minutes if your oven takes a really long time to heat up, but I wouldn’t do it any longer than that.
if you normally have a problem with your cheesecake cracking, try (once the cake is done) turning the oven off and only opening the door a crack (i usually put a wooden spoon in to hold it open about an inch) and letting it cool for a few hours in there. that way it cools down really slowly and shouldn’t crack!
(keep in mind though that you’re leaving it in the hot oven for longer, even if its turned off, so you might want to cut the baking time a little)
I am trying it this week for my husband’s and son’s birthday . . . I will try and let you know how it turned it. It looks fabulous!
Kim
I just made it – it was wonderful! Just like Eli’s here in Chicago. And NO CRACKS!!
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it. It’s my go-to cheesecake recipe now, I haven’t found any others that compare.
I ADORE this recipe of yours! I’ve made it once and got rave reviews. My boyfriend is native NYer, and goes home often, so he’s pretty familiar with the infamous cheesecakes there (and makes a mean one himself). But even HE has said this cheesecake is the best he’s ever had.
I have another in the oven right now… hopefully it will turn out as wonderfully! I tend to have to leave it in my oven a bit longer than your specified times, but last time there was no cracking it and just tasted divine!
I’ve actually made a variation of it that I call ‘red velvet cheesecake.’ It consists of half of your original recipe, and half dyed and flavored to taste like red velvet cake! It’s very striking against the oreo crumb crust!
Anyway, I think your recipe is PERFECT. Thank you so much for posting it!
Thanks, Kylee! I’m so glad you like it. It’s still my go-to cheesecake recipe after 2 years and I’ve made several different versions: one with chocolate and one with pumpkin. The red velvet version sounds awesome! I already want to make a version with peppermint, so I’ll have to add red velvet to my list as well. I bet it looks beautiful!
Hello! I was reading your other cheesecake recipe, and this sounds uh-mazing. I was wondering if you ever made peppermint bark cheesecake? I want to, but I can only find one recipe online, and it looks good, but not what I want. I am going to just try experimenting, but I would love input.
Hi Kelci,
I’ve been meaning to make a peppermint version, I think I will have to do that for Christmas! But I did make a version of this cheesecake with marbled dark and white chocolate here and several of the commenters mentioned turning it into a peppermint bark cheesecake, so you should definitely check out that recipe and the comment by Desiree for her plan to adapt it.
I think my plan would be a bit simpler than what Desiree wanted to do, though. Maybe just add some peppermint extract to the chocolate part of the cheesecake. And then when it’s done cooking, top it with a chocolate ganache and sprinkle with small pieces of peppermint. I’m not sure if you could actually cook peppermint bark in the cheesecake since it seems like it would melt? Plus I don’t think I’d want to be biting into pieces of peppermint in the middle of the cheesecake. It also might be fun to play with the crust. Maybe use some kind of chocolate mint cookie?
I’d love to hear how your version turns out!
I am going to try and make this next week to take to my in-laws for Christmas. I would like to add a chocolate/fudge type layer on top, but I still want to keep the original cheesecake layer beneath it. Any suggestions? And thanks for the recipe!!
For example, I saw that you mentioned you might use a chocolate ganache on the peppermint bark cheesecake. Do you by any chance have a recipe for the ganache, and how/when to layer it on the cheesecake? I am sure I can figure something out, I would rather have your opinion before I try it!
I would definitely wait to add the ganache until the cheesecake is totally cooked and has been chilled for all or most of the 24 hours. Then remove it from the springform pan and you can pour/spread on the ganache. Or if you don’t want it to trickle down the sides you could keep it in the springform and then let the ganache harden a bit before you remove the pan.
I used a ganache recipe for these cupcakes that would probably work fine for this, too.
Good luck! This is such a good cheesecake, so I bet adding chocolate on top will make it even better! 🙂
This was AMAZING. It was a little more time-intensive than I expected (but it’s cheesecake, it’ll always be time-intensive), and I ended up staying up until 2am slaving over this thing, but it was TOTALLY worth it. It was absolutely delicious. I used about 4 cups of crushed up oreos instead of 3, and because I think the crust is a gigantic part of the cheesecake, I thought it worked out well. I also went ahead and put oreo crumbs on the top, and it made it a little messy, but also delicious. I thought I had undercooked it a little, but when I ate it, it was the perfect consistency and texture. GREAT recipe. Definitely using it again. Thank you so much!
If you want a more NY tasting cheese cake make the recipe as is but leave out the 2 extra egg yolks,flour and milk. It tastes the same flavorwise and makes it nice and heavy and thick looks more like the real type of cheese cake and cuts baking time to under 3 hours.
Interesting tip, but I would say that this cheesecake recipe is already really thick and heavy, so I’m not sure I’d want to do anything to it to make it heavier. I think it’s pretty perfect the way it is! I’ve updated the recipe since I first posted it and found a solution for the undercooked look of it, so that’s not an issue anymore. Thanks though, I may try it without the extra egg yolks next time and see if that affects it any. 🙂
This recipe tastes amazing! The only complaint I have is the baking time, I baked it for 15 mins at 400, then to 3 hrs at 200..it was not enough time, the cheesecake came out a tad runny/undercooked looking in the middle. Everyone I served it too loved it, they could of however just have said it, and not truly meant it. I will definately be trying this recipe again, though tweaking the baking time/temp. till I get it right.
r u this this isn’t a typo? bake for 3 HOURS??!! not criticizing as much as wondering and asking because I’ve baked a lot of cheesecakes but never for more than and hour with an hour in the oven with it off…..other than that I know how popular it’s going to be…thanks for the recipe…..
Nope, not a typo! You have to bake it for three hours because the oven is at such a low temperature. I think the low temp helps keep the cheesecake from cracking and makes it so you don’t have to bother with a water bath like you do with most other cheesecake recipes. Three years later, this is still the best cheesecake I’ve ever had so for me it’s always worth the extra time! 🙂
This was amazing! I have never made a cheesecake that didnt crack. This is definitely in my “keeper” file and will replace the other recipes I have. Everyone at work LOVED it, one lady siad that this was by far the best cheesecake she had ever had. I was suprised about how long it took to cook (I definitely should read recipes before I make them) but did everything exactly as in the recipe and I am so glad I did. I wish my hips and waist could take me eating this every single day! =)
@IZ_you_okay https://t.co/dVoCdkBU I think that’s the one I used, but I added chocolate chips. Good luck
This was my first ever cheesecake and the cheesecake part came out absolutely perfect and not runny at all (I left it in the oven for a little bit longer than three hours) But my crust came out horrible. I may have used too much butter because it is extremely moist.
@kimcumms17 https://t.co/1g6h3gJp
I’ve made this cheesecake multiple times for my friends and family. Everyone who has tried it loves it (even the cheesecake haters). This is my go to recipe for cheesecake, its so good!
Question regarding cooking time: Do you bake for 10 minutes from the time the oven reaches 400, or from the time you turn on the oven? The reason I ask is that my oven takes a long time to reach temp, and I don’t want to overcook. Thanks!
Hi Tom,
I bake 10 minutes starting from when I turn on the oven. If your oven is slow to heat up, then 15 minutes would be fine. The purpose of baking it at the higher temperature first is to cook the outside of the cheesecake so you want to bake it long enough that it just starts to brown slightly on top and then turn the temperature down to 200 to finish cooking all the way through.
my cheescake was slightly to browned on the top:/ is it okay if i cut that part off?
Sure. Seems like some people prefer it to be browned on top and others don’t? So it’s fine if you want to cut it off, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you make it the recipe again, you can reduce the original 400 degree temperature down to 375 and bake it at that temp for 5 to 8 minutes instead of 10 so that it doesn’t start browning on top.
@blackromeo_ https://t.co/JMNrYV9i and add chocolate chips!
I happen to be baking a cheesecake for my boyfriend, too. He requested an Oreo crust with “regular” cheesecake and a caramel topping! I’ll be using this recipe for the crust, and in the future definitely will try out the other recipes that are featured!
I’ve always gotten GREAT reviews from friends and neighbors from my cheesecakes and my secret is Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook by Alan Rosen & Beth Allen. Since owning this cook book, I will ONLY bake my cheesecakes using a bain-marie (hot water bath)!
I’d like to do this as a batch of cupcakes instead of one large cake. How would you recommend altering the cook time and temp?
Yeah, you can make these as mini-cheesecakes. Foil liners works best. You don’t have to bake the crust, you can just press it into the the bottom of the liner. (I’ve also seen other recipes that use a whole Oreo instead of crushing it up.) Cut down the baking time to only 1 hour and take them out of the oven immediately instead of letting them sit in there to cool.
It’s probably going to make A LOT of cupcakes, so you may want to half the recipe? If you do that, use 3 blocks of cream cheese and 3 whole eggs instead of a combo of eggs and egg yolks.
Hey! I made this and it was a-maaazing I even made a rose out of the oreo cream so it doesn’t go to waste but listen! I have a question. My cheesecake came out with a kind of yellow colour.. is that normal? Like it was more yellow than white..
I’m glad you liked it! I do think it’s normal to be a more yellow-y color just because there are so many eggs/yolks in this cheesecake. Plus, the initial 400 degree heat blast helps to brown the top which might make it look more yellow, too.
I have another question.. 5 8 oz packets or 5 packets which equal to 8oz? THIS CONFUSED ME I USED 8OZ OF CHEESE BECAUSE 40 IS LIKE OVERKILL
Sorry if it was confusing. You’re supposed to use 5 packages of cream cheese that are 8 ounces each. It’s a lot of cream cheese, but that’s why this cheesecake is so good!
ooooohhhhh :((( I already used just 8 oz. I did that the first time that’s probably why it was so yellow and kinda flowed. I guess there’s always next time but I should pay attention to these things more. Welp if you fall down you should always get back up, right? Thank you!! 🙂
i made this recipe and it came out horrible. the top all caramelized, the bottom burnt and the middle had no flavor at all.
You may need a new oven 😉
This is my favorite cheesecake recipe! I substitute other ingredients into this one’s if I want to do a different flavor because it’s so good! Thanks for sharing it!!
This recipe sounds amazing and I want to make it for my brothers birthday, but we are celebrating tonight… Why does it have to chill for 24 hours? Could I just put it in the freezer to speed the chill time? I’ve never made a cheesecake before… And I dont want to mess it up. but he loves cheesecake and Oreos, so this would be perfect!!
I have used your recipe twice now and at both parties it was a huge hit with all age groups!!!
Could you suggest a baking time for if i were to make this recipe using a cupcake tray instead of the springform pan? I know cupcakes usually need less baking time that a regular cake but I’m not sure how I would modify it for cheesecake.
Made this twice now and have had the same issue with the crust not forming into the pan and against the sides. I fixed this issue the first time by adding double the butter and it was great except butter oozed out of the crust while baking and making a mess of my oven. So this time I tried adding a smidge of water not sure yet but it’s not advisable. Other than that awesome finished product the first time. Oh and I used the Lindys baking instructions.
BEST CHEESECAKE EVER! Both my boyfriend and his brother agreed. I only used 3 cream cheese pouches and i could have been good with 2. i also used the insides of the oreos inside my cheeses filling. and i also set a layer of whole oreos on the middle of the cake. toooo good. must try!!
I hate making cheesecake but my son requests it for his birthday every year. This recipe is the best one by far. It didn’t crack on me and tasted amazing. My whole family loved it. It is time consuming but the end result was well worth it!
Can you provide this recipe with 1/2 half the ingredients?
Hello Emily!
I absolutely love your cheesecake recipe! I make it at least twice a year. I am about to do a shower and the girl I am throwing it for loves NUTELLA. Do you think I would be able to add nutella to this recipe? And if so, what amount?
I would love to know what you think.
Absolutely amazing!!! I got so many compliments-I do have to say most of my crust stuck to the pan but I should’ve greased it prior I guess… and a little leakage but I had a pan underneath so easy to clean up! I also messed up and put in 6 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk but I don’t think it made a huge difference. It was soooo sooo good
What would happen if I used ground oreos for the crust and didn’t take out the filling? I already have ground up oreos but the filling was left on.
Would it change the crust in a very negative way?
It should be fine. I would just use less sugar (maybe 2-3 tablespoons at most) since the filling is already really sweet.