Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Position the oven rack to the lower-third section of your oven.
Get out a 9” (23 cm) springform pan and line just the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Do not grease it.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients except for the butter until well combined.
1/2 cup (62 grams) flour, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (65 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt
Stir in the butter until combined.
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
Pat onto the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup, a glass or your hands to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until it no longer appears wet. It’s still going to be soft but shouldn’t be wet. If it already has holes in it and looks like it’s bubbling, remove it immediately. If it happens, it’s fine, but ideally, you want to remove it before that happens. Let cool for at least 15 minutes while preparing the filling.

In a food processor fitted with an S-blade, pulse the Oreos (including the filling) until you have fine crumbs.
24 (275 grams) Oreo cookies
Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter.
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter
Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.
Spread the crumbs evenly over the bottom and just a bit up the sides. Use the bottom of a measuring cup, a glass or your hands to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or until fragrant and firm to touch.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes while preparing the filling.

In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until well combined.
32 oz (907 grams) full-fat cream cheese, 1 2/3 cups (333 grams) granulated sugar
Add the cocoa powder, sour cream, vanilla and salt and beat on low until combined.
1/2 cup (57 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/3 cup (80 ml) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Add in the eggs, one by one, until combined. Be sure not to overmix.
4 large eggs
Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl at half power in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds. Set aside.
8 ounces (225 grams) semi-sweet chocolate
Right before you pour the batter into the pan (in a few minutes), fold in the melted chocolate. If you do it now, the chocolate may firm up in the batter while you prepare the water bath.

Do this once your cheesecake crust has cooled enough for you to handle the pan (after about 10 minutes of cooling). Using heavy-duty, extra-wide foil, cut three pieces that are at least 14" (36 cm) long for your 9" (23 cm) springform pan.
Place the foil pieces on top of each other on a flat surface and put the cheesecake pan in the center of the foil pieces.
Fold the foil up and around the outer edge, but it shouldn’t be attached to the upper rim of the pan.
Get out a roasting pan large enough for your foiled-wrapped cheesecake pan.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. How much you'll need depends on the size of your roasting pan. It's better to boil too much than to boil too little, and then have to boil more. Should you not have a kettle, then bring water to a boil and then pour it into something shatter-resistant that has a spout, which allows for easy pouring and will prevent water from splashing into the cheesecake. If you think you’ll need 2 kettles of water, then boil 1, pour the boiling water into something shatter-resistant, and boil another kettle. Then when the 2nd kettle is ready, you’re ready to pour all the water in the roasting pan and don’t have to open the oven door twice.
Place the foil-covered pan into the empty roasting pan.
Fold the melted chocolate into the batter and stir in the mini chocolate chips, if using.
1 cup (225 grams) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pour the cheesecake batter over the top of the pre-baked crust. Use a silicone spatula to smooth out the top.
Right as the water starts boiling, move the waterless roasting pan with the cheesecake in it onto the oven rack.
Very, very carefully pour the just boiled water into the roasting pan, pouring only about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Be careful that it doesn't splash onto the cheesecake batter.

Bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 55 minutes. When you tap the pan, it won't be totally set but won't be super jiggly. It’ll look a bit strange and not like normal cheesecake. It’ll probably also look dry and maybe a little overdone (but should definitely not look burned!).
Tilt open the oven door and let cool for 1 hour.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully remove the cheesecake to a cooling rack. Use a knife that won’t scratch up your pan to very gently run around the edge of the cheesecake. This will make it easier to separate the cheesecake from the pan once it’s cooled (if you don’t do this, it comes off, but a little of the cheesecake sticks to the pan).
Cool for 2 hours on a cooling rack or until room temp before chilling for 8+ hours.

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
4 ounces (125 grams) semi-sweet chocolate
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot and steamy.
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is totally melted. If it’s very runny, you may want to stick it in the fridge for about 5 minutes.
Pour over the chilled cheesecake.
Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top, if using.
1/4 to 1/2 cup (56-112 grams) mini chocolate chips

The baked cheesecake, with or without the ganache, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover to prevent drying out. You can also tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

If making the homemade cookie crust, for the flour, you can use 1/2 cup (62 grams) all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour. For gluten-free, you can use 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (70 grams) buckwheat flour or 1/2 cup (68 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour or 62 grams gluten-free oat flour.
If you live outside of the US - you likely have a different type of cream cheese than in the US. US cream cheese is firmer and meant for baking, rather than the kind for toast, like in Europe. For 8 ounces (225 grams) of cream cheese, buy a 300-gram package (the stuff at Aldi, Lidl, etc. works just as well as Philadelphia), put it in the center of a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze out the liquid until you have 225 grams of cream cheese. So for this recipe, buy 1200 grams of cream cheese and squeeze out the liquid until you have 907 grams of cream cheese left.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.