Stand mixer or large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer
10-inch springform pan
Sheet pan
Dinner plate
Parchment paper
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Bits
¼cupbuttersoftened
2Tbspdark brown sugar
2Tbspgranulated sugar
1Tbspmilk
½tspvanilla extract
¼tsppink himalayan sea salt
½cupflourmicrowave 1 min on high to kill bacteria
¼cupmini chocolate chips
Graham Cracker Crust
1cuphoney graham crackerspulverized
⅓cupunsalted buttermelted
Cheesecake Base
38-oz packagesreduced-fat cream cheese
3eggs
14oz canfat-free sweetened condensed milk
2Tbsplemon juice
1Tbspvanilla extract
Optional Chocolate Drizzle
⅓cupmini chocolate chips
¼cupheavy cream
1Pinchpink himalayan sea salt
Instructions
To make the cookie dough, cream the butter and sugars together. Mix in the vanilla and milk. Fold in the heat-treated flour, salt, and mini chocolate chips.
Form the dough into small teaspoon-sized balls. Roll them between your palms for a smooth exterior. Place the balls on a parchment paper-lined plate in the freezer while you make the rest of the cheesecake. You can also make these ahead of time and save them in the fridge for up to 48 hours or freeze for up to 3 months. (See Notes)
Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Using the food processor, crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter in, and mix thoroughly.
Press the buttered crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of your springform pan. I prefer a ½-inch lip of crust around the sides rather than going all the way up.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese until fluffy. Scrape down the sides. Add the eggs in one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Then, mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again making sure there are no remaining clumps s of cream cheese. Finally, beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently to remove large air bubbles.
Pour the cheesecake filling over the graham cracker crust. Wiggle the pan around and firmly, but gently, tap the pan against the counter to bring any remaining air bubbles to the surface. Pop resistant bubbles with a toothpick.
Drop in the little balls of cookie dough evenly throughout the cheesecake. Poke them down a little with your finger and jiggle the pan so the cheesecake batter fills in over the top of all the balls.
Place your cheesecake on the top rack of your oven, and pour 1 cup of lukewarm water into the pan that you placed in the oven at the preheat stage. Promptly close your oven.
Bake the cheesecake at 300ºF for 75 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat, but leave the oven sealed shut for 2 hours to allow the steam to continue cooking your cake.
Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Once the cake is cold, gently melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil and salt in the microwave until glossy. Drizzle all over the top of the cheesecake in a pretty pattern, if you wish. Return to the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours. Chilling overnight is best.
To serve, run a paring knife under HOT water and carefully trace the knife between the crust and the springform pan. Gently unlatch the springform and remove the base from the sides. Admire your craftsmanship for a moment... then once again using a clean, hot knife, slice the cake and serve.
Serves 12-16 slices.
Notes
Notes: This recipe makes extra edible cookie dough. You will probably only use about half for the cheesecake. Use the remaining dough for decoration, or keep in the freezer for a little cookie dough snack later.