Friday, February 7, 2014

Cookie Butter Cheesecake





I know what you're thinking: "Another cheesecake recipe? Really?" Yes, of course! Cheesecake is our dessert of choice around here, as you may have guessed after reading about my Beer Cheesecake or Pomegranate Cheesecake. This Cookie Butter Cheesecake was made for a recent party, and it was a hit!

Have you tried Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's? I'm really late hopping on this bandwagon. Of course, you have to travel 2 1/2 hours outside my hometown to even get to a Trader Joe's, so there's that. Even though I have been living in a big city for a few years now, Trader Joe's hasn't been a place I have frequented. But that's about to change, all because of this tasty little stuff they call cookie butter.


My husband had the idea to put it in a cheesecake. I did a quick search online, and it seemed like people were only swirling it on top of a cheesecake, but we wanted to use it as the flavor of the whole thing. So, I decided to create my own recipe, making the cookie butter the star of the show.


In fact, this whole cheesecake is really Trader Joe's inspired (and this is not a sponsored post; it just seemed like a fun thing to do). The crust is made with their Joe-Joe's sandwich cookies, and some of their delicious fudge sauce is drizzled on top.


For those of you who do not live close to a Trader Joe's, don't despair! You can obviously sub other brands of cookies and fudge sauce, and Amazon's got you covered in the cookie butter department! Seriously, you need to order some of this stuff!



*Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable version of the recipe.*
To make the cheesecake, you will need:

Crust
5 chocolate graham crackers (10 squares) and 10 chocolate sandwich cookies with chocolate cream, OR 9 chocolate graham crackers (18 squares)
1/3 C butter, melted
1/4 C brown sugar

Filling
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 C sugar
1/2 C sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 C Speculoos Cookie Butter

Sauce
Hot fudge sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees if using a silver springform pan; 325 for dark or non-stick pans.

Place graham crackers and cookies in a food processor.


 Process until you have fine crumbs.


Add the butter and brown sugar. I do this in the food processor, as well.


Press the crumb mixture on the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan.


Beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well blended.


Add the sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. It's important not to over-beat a cheesecake, because that can lead to cracking.


This stuff looks good just like this! If you can't resist trying a spoonful, do it now before the eggs are added in!

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until incorporated.


Stir in cookie butter, again being careful not to over-beat.


Pour into your prepared crust.


Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until center is not quite set. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside and crack the door slightly. Leave the cheesecake in there for an hour, then place it on the counter to allow it to come to room temperature. After it has come to room temperature, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator.


When you're ready to serve the cheesecake, remove the sides of the springform pan.


Slice and dish out the cheesecake.



Such perfect, delicious slices!

Drizzle with hot fudge sauce just prior to serving.



For extra fun, do like we did and serve up your cheesecake with some of Trader Joe's two-buck Chuck!


Let me know how your cheesecake turns out, and how you like to eat your cookie butter!

*Right-click the image below to download a printable copy of the recipe.*


Linking up with Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

7 comments:

  1. This looks so good!!! I think cheesecakes taste best after a day or two in the fridge. =)

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    1. Thanks Beka! Leftover cheesecake is delicious--it just rarely hangs around our house that long! ;)

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  2. What a delicious looking cheese cake! I like the idea of using crushed cookies as its crust.Trader Joe's is opening its first stores in Denver soon--whoo hoo!

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    1. Thanks, it was quite tasty! How exciting that Trader Joe's is opening near you soon--it's a fun little store.

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  3. What a gorgeous cheese cake and the swirls make a fabulous presentation. Happy belated Valentine's Day.
    Sam

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sam! I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy the recipe; thanks for stopping by!

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  4. What a beautiful presentation for your awesome Cookie B utter Cheesecake, this will be delicious! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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