Cappuccino Cheesecake with Girl Scout Cookie Crust

Once a year, I buy cookies in a box…cases of them, in fact. It’s the time of year when my baking exclusively from scratch policy goes out the window. Who can turn down a precious little Girl Scout, especially one who lives with you? I’m sure if you know or reside within a few miles of a grade-school girl, you too have probably been sweet-talked into purchasing a few boxes of the addictive, endearingly packaged cookies.

I must admit, I do occasionally enjoy a couple of Thin Mints straight from the freezer. But with 10 boxes still frozen from last year and another 25 boxes sitting in my pantry, I needed to put them somewhere other than my thighs. As luck will have it, I was whipping up a cheesecake to bring to my neighbor’s house for a dinner party he hosted, and I realized there were no graham crackers in the house. So, instead, I crushed a box of Thin Mints and pressed them into a crust. It turned out to be a perfect substitute, eliminating a schlep to the market and putting a box of Girl Scout cookies to good use.

12 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 box Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mint, Dulce de Leche or Do-Si-Dos) or 8 whole graham crackers, crushed by hand or in the food processor
2 pounds cream cheese
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325° F. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan and brush the sides with a little melted butter (if it is not nonstick, line the bottom with tin foil, tuck it underneath the edge, then assemble the pan).

2. Mix together the cookie crumbs and the remaining melted butter. Press all but 1/4 cup into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bring a kettle of water to boil.

3. In the large bowl of a mixer or food processor, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and continue mixing for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl twice. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition.

4. Whisk together the cream, vanilla and coffee powder. Add to the cream cheese mixture along with the sour cream and chocolate chips and stir until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan and place the pan in side a roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold it level. (If there are lumps remaining in the batter, pass it through a sieve into the crust).

5. Place the roasting pan into the oven and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the springform pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the center of the cake is still a bit jiggly but the perimeter is set. Remove the pan from the water bath and set on a rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with the reserved cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to four days).

For another sinfully delicious dessert, try Dark Chocolate Walnut Bourbon Pie. Or, browse our complete recipe collection. Don’t forget to celebrate Spring — send us your favorite Spring recipe for a chance to win some great free prizes in our March cooking contest!

Photo credit: memoirsoffood.blogspot.com