Cookie Dough Oreo Cheesecake

Cookie Dough Oreos are officially on supermarket shelves. Of course, I promptly snatched up a package at Target, dug in the second I got home...and was kind of disappointed. 

They ARE better than most of the limited-time Oreos I've had in the past (I always buy them, but rarely like them). But they still don't really taste like cookie dough. As my sister put it, they have "a fake/manufactured cookie dough taste." Let's just say there's no risk of me digging the creme filling out by the spoonful.

In my opinion, any kind of Oreo, even the original ones, is best incorporated into a baked good. So I decided to whip up a Cookie Dough Oreo Cheesecake. Can you really ever go wrong with cheesecake? I think not. 

I was not disappointed.

I crushed up several Cookie Dough Oreos for the crust, then chopped up the rest and stirred them into the cheesecake batter. To make up for the Oreos' lacking flavor, I layered some actual cookie dough between the crust and the cheesecake. This was not a mistake.

What You Need

24 Cookie Dough Oreos, divided
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature 
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1 egg
1 package pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough (I used Toll House Chocolate Chip Lovers)

Put It All Together

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Coat a springform pan with cooking spray. 
3. Crush 14 Oreos in a food processor, until finely ground. Mix with the melted butter, and firmly pack into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool for 10 minutes.
4. Press the cookie dough into a half-inch thick layer on top of the crust. (I used about three-fourths of the dough in the package.) 
5. Beat the cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth. Add the egg, and mix well. Chop up the remaining Oreos, and stir into the cream cheese mixture. 
6. Pour the mixture over the cookie dough, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Funfetti Cheesecake Squares

We've established my obsession with Funfetti. Which means a glowing review of Funfetti Cheesecake Squares from me might seem slightly biased. So I'll open with an outsider opinion:


       "Those bars are so. darn. good. I grew up in a house where cake mix of any kind was verboten, so I'm new to the whole Funfetti thing. A whole wonderful world of baking is opening up!"


       Full disclosure: This email came from an intern who happens to report to me. So she's kind of obligated to like my desserts. (And use words like "verboten.") That said, another taster made a special trip to my office to praise my Funfetti Squares. And this taster feels no obligation to like my desserts (or me). So, I have full confidence in saying:


       This is one dessert you do NOT want to miss out on. 


       The bottom cake layer, where the Funfetti resides, is dense, almost crust-like, while the top tastes similar to cheesecake but with a flakier, creamier texture.  The combination is like crack to my sweet tooth.

Don't even start eating the dough. You won't have any left.

Funfetti Cheesecake Squares


What you need
1 box of Funfetti cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb)
1 tsp vanilla


Put it all together

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg into a doughy mixture. Press into a 9x13" pan. 
3. Beat cream cheese, 2 eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until thoroughly combined. Pour over cake mixture in pan. 
4. Bake for 40 minutes.