Thanksgiving Cheesecake 2018

The year of the Samoa cookie

My family has this annual tradition. My cousin's birthday is at the beginning of December, so we celebrate the same way every year on Thanksgiving. With a challenge.

What kind of challenge, you ask? Well, every year my cousin is tasked with choosing a new cheesecake for us to make. Some years are harder than others (cough cough fruity pebbles 2019). But 2018, well this was the year of the Samoa Girl Scout cookie.

And check out those decorating skills, finally something pretty!

This really did taste like a Samoa cookie, and it was delicious!

We use a 9-inch springform pan that has a glass bottom. My mom refuses to use any other pan (we have a Le Creuset non-stick, but it just sits in our cabinet).

Another tip when looking for cheesecake recipes. The best ones have 4, yes 4, packages of cream cheese. This is not the time to be on a diet.

---

Samoa Cheesecake - recipe courtesy https://www.mybakingaddiction.com

Total prep+cook time = Approx 1 hour 20 minutes (but we always make it the day before)

Ingredients:

• 1 5.5-ounce package Pepperidge Farm Shortbread Cookies

• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 4 large eggs; room temperature

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• 2 teaspoons coconut extract

Decorative topping:

• whipped cream

• 10 Samoa cookies, chopped

• 1/3 cup caramel sauce

• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

• 1/3 cup toasted coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Tightly wrap a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath.

2. Place cookies and shredded coconut into a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. Add in the melted butter and pulse until it is fully incorporated into the cookie crumbs.

3. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Begin a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.

5. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again before adding the eggs. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and extracts, and mix until smooth.

6. Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan into a larger pan (I use a roasting pan) and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

7. Bake 55-65 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, lay a piece of foil over the top of the cheesecake and leave the oven door cracked. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.

8. After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

9. Just before serving, top the cheesecake with whipped cream, chopped Samoa cookies, melted chocolate and toasted coconut.