The basic tradition for welcoming, and bribing, Santa Claus is to leave out a plate of cookies, and a glass of milk. It is a given that Santa, therefore, must love sweets, and be able to tolerate dairy very well. But what if, and I am just throwing this out there, you threw aside the traditional, and went for full outrageous form of bribery?
Not talking cookies here, but cake…cheesecake! See, Santa does not care if the treats you put out are store bought, homemade or semi-homemade. He appreciates that you thought of him, and made an effort; does not matter how big or small, but that you tried. Yes, tis the season for giving, and he appreciates that you did not forget to say thank you in some way.
Now for the story behind “Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake”, the ease to make it, and the smile of appreciation it brings when given as a gift.
During the 2012 holiday season, I pulled out of a cooking magazine a recipe for "Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake”. The year previously, Philadelphia Cream Cheese came out with a new line of “indulgence” products, one being milk chocolate cream cheese. Before you ask, yes, this product is still on the market, and available at Sam’s Club if you happen to have a membership.
Back to the story, I was taking my mother-in-law out for dinner (yes, we get along very well), and she kind of hinted about what dessert to expect for Christmas dinner. Not too subtle at all, right? When time came for holiday baking, I pulled out that magazine recipe; as I read it, changes came to mind. Instead of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies for the crust, how about chocolate cookies? Instead of fruit as a garnish, what about more cookies, or chocolate candy?
I wanted this cheesecake to be all about vanilla and chocolate, no other flavors would do for this creation. I crushed up Oreo cookies that had chocolate filling instead of the traditional white cream; no mixing with butter, prebaking or cooling in the refrigerator for the crust. As the vanilla layer of the cake baked, the chocolate filling oozed up into the cake layer, here and there, to create little pockets of chocolate inside the vanilla. For the chocolate mousse topping, I increased the amount used from one eight-ounce container of Milk Chocolate Indulgence to two and only used the recommended two cups of whipped topping. Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!!! Drooling yet?
When it comes to baking, I have always been told that you have to follow all the precise measurements, ingredients and rules. Sometimes being a rule breaker can be a really great experience; more often not, but you never know till you try.
Mom-in-law loved it! Oh, the fruit swirl and topped cheesecakes are still her number one favorite, but this newest one was her second fave. Since I did make several changes to the original recipe, I renamed it to reflect the focus on vanilla and chocolate. Oh, Santa? Yule and Christmas of 2012 were very, very good; so happy we went the bribery route. *Wink*
Vanilla Cheesecake with Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
14 Oreo cookies with chocolate filling
2 (8 oz.) packages plain cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 (8 oz.) containers Philadelphia Brand Milk Chocolate Indulgence Cream Cheese
2 cups whipped topping
10 Hershey kisses
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325F; spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray. Put 12 of the Oreo cookies into a resealable plastic bag, crush them and spread them out over the parchment paper.
When ready to serve, use a sharp knife to help release cake sides from pan before opening springform. Place unwrapped kisses evenly around cake; place remaining two Oreo cookies in center.
Makes 10 servings, each serving will be topped with a sweet chocolate kiss.
Note: Usually, I bake cheesecakes in a Bain Marie (water bath), but since this cake was getting a topping, I was not concerned with the top cracking. However, do wrap aluminum foil around the base of the pan, in case any fluids find a way to seep out.
Mary Cokenour
