Oreo Cheesecake

I LOVE cheesecake. It's one of the best desserts ever invented! I love the sweetness, creaminess and richness of cheesecakes. One thing I don't like about my cheesecakes, though, is it being too heavy. I have an aversion to overly-rich, heavy cheesecakes. Don't ask me why, I just find the creaminess to be overpowering an it leaves me with no appetite for more.
Since it was Oreo cheesecake, I decided to use an Oreo biscuit crust instead of the graham cracker crust stated in the recipe. I mean, it's Oreo cheesecake for a reason right? So I decided, load it up with tons of Oreos! Also, I had my doubts with this recipe.  I was worried it was going to be overly dense with the amount of heavy cream needed. But these doubts were instantly cleared once I tasted the cake. This recipe's a keeper.

Oreo Cookies and Cream No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe, adapted from Bakers Royale
Crust
1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers(I used Oreo biscuits, and I added more cookies than stated as the crust mixture was still wet after mixing all the ingredients)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
7 tablespoon unsalted butter(melted)
1. Combine Oreo biscuits with sugar.
2. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
3. Press into 8inch springform tin. Set aside.
Cheesecake
2 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 pound(450g) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cups Oreo Cookies, crushed
Method:
1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.
2. Add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla essence, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with a paddle attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a paddle attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency.
3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
4. Gently fold in crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Fill the pan with a slight mound at the center, as the cheesecake will become slightly sunken at the center.
6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.
7. Remove from refrigerator and garnish with Oreo cookies if you wish.
NOTE: Do not leave this cake out of the fridge too long as it does not hold its shape for too long.

Butter Cookies

I remember as a kid, I loved to eat. Well technically, I'm a teen now, and I still love eating. Ok, where was I? Ah yes, back to the days of my childhood. I had a sweet tooth and I couldn't stop helping myself to whatever delicious snack that was in the fridge or on the dining table. I can still remember how I would sneak a bite at the crackers or biscuits my grandmother would store in the biscuit tin. I also remember how I got scolded for snacking before dinner after that. Hehe!

Anyways, back to my point. These cookies were one of the first few recipes I used when I first started baking. My mum got it from her colleague who was good at baking. I remember how I eagerly put my first batch into the oven to bake, how I was nervous about how they would turn out. But within minutes, my kitchen was filled with the smell of butter goodness. Oohlala!When they were done, I was so excited! my first batch of cookies were done! After taking one bite (or maybe more) of these cookies, I had found my perfect cookie!(or one of my many perfect cookies)

Ever since then, this has been a recipe that I fall back on when I need a quick snack.

Butter Cookies Recipe, from my mum's colleague

Ingredients:

250g butter

230g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

500g self-raising flour

70g almonds (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees Celsius
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Sift in self-raising flour. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add almonds, if using. Mix well.
6. Roll out dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies or roll them into small balls.
7. Use a fork to flatten them.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

NOTE: I made other shapes with the same cookie dough, and you can to. It's so flexible, you can make heart-shapes, sprinkle sugar over the top or even add chocolate chips.