Cheesecake may be my favorite dessert. I love the creaminess and richness in every bite. Today’s Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake checks all the boxes! It has a brownie base and pieces of Oreo cookies in the filling. It is truly decadent and indulgent!
This cheesecake is truly the best of all worlds. With the double hit of chocolate from the brownie crust and Oreo cookies in the filling, blended with the creamiest cheesecake imaginable. There’s nothing better in my opinion!
I love Oreo cookies and am thrilled they have a gluten-free variety! Look for the white cover. If you can’t find those, Glutino also makes a great GF version and I’m sure you can find them both online.
The brownie crust is super easy and quick to make. Once baked, you will set it aside to cool. Don’t be surprised if it sinks in the middle, this is typical.
If you don’t want to make the brownie crust, you can use extra Oreo cookies to make the crust. Easy and delicious.
When this cheesecake is baking, use your instincts to know when it is nearly ready. If you can smell it, chances are it is close if not already done. Each oven is different, so go by the visual clues and what you smell coming from the oven.
This is a rather intense dessert with the rich cheesecake and bold chocolate from the brownie crust and Oreo cookies. I loved adding the whipped cream. It lightened every bite! Don’t whip the cream ahead, do it right before you are ready to serve. And be sure to refrigerate, covered, to help it stay whipped!
I chose to add fresh strawberries on top of mine because they were so beautiful, I couldn’t resist. You can use anything you like for the toppings. The sweet berries added a lovely freshness that enhanced all the flavors. Strawberry and chocolate is a classic pairing for a reason – they are delicious together!
This cheesecake lasts for 4 to 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator. It is equally delicious on the 4th day as it was on the first! I leave it on the springform base and re-attach the ring, then cover the top with foil. It is easy to cut slices and serve your family and friends.
I hope you give this Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake a try. It would be a great option for dinner parties or birthday celebrations. Change up the decorations to suit the occasion.
Have a terrific week and we’ll see you back here on Friday for another special recipe for you and your family!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake:
- Brownie Crust: butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs
- Cheesecake Filling: cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, sugar, eggs, cream, Oreo cookies
- Whipped Cream: heavy cream, vanilla, powdered sugar
PRO Tip:
You will likely have too much filling for the springform pan. Stop when the pan is 3/4 full – you need room for rising. You can bake the leftover batter in a small buttered baking dish like a ramekin or small au gratin. It will bake more quickly than the large cheesecake so keep an eye on it and pull it out when done – the center should jiggle when you nudge the pan. Baking time will depend on the size of your small container.
How to make Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake:
- Make the Brownie Crust: Melt the butter and whisk in the cocoa powder and vanilla until smooth; set aside to cool. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, and a pinch of salt on high speed until thick and very pale. Add the cooled chocolate and beat until smooth, then mix in the dry ingredients until all the white streaks are gone. Don’t overmix. Use a spatula to mix in the final bits.
- Bake the Brownie Crust: Pour batter into a greased springform pan lined with parchment on the bottom. It should spread out to the edges. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes until just set – it won’t be fully baked at this point. The top will likely sink in the center. Let it cool while you make the filling.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: Place a pan filled with about 2-inches (5cm) of water on the bottom rack of the oven and set the second rack in the center. Preheat to 325°F (163°C).
- Beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream together until completely smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly and mix in any unincorporated ingredients. With the mixer running, pour in the sugar, mixing until smooth. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Mix in the cream.
- Using a spatula, fold in the chopped cookies. Pour the filling into the springform on top of the brownie crust until the pan is 3/4 full. You can bake off the excess batter if you like in a buttered ramekin or small baking dish.
- Bake the Cheesecake: Carefully place in the hot oven. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. If you are baking a smaller cake, watch it carefully because it will bake much more quickly.
- Turn the oven off but let the large cheesecake sit, undisturbed, inside the oven with the door cracked open with the handle of a wooden spoon for another 30 minutes. The cheesecake will jiggle slightly in the center when gently nudged and the internal temperature should register 145°F to 155°F (63° to 68°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. After 5 to 10 minutes run an offset spatula or knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Leave to cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- To Serve: Run an offset spatula or knife around the edges, release the springform ring, remove it and transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Whip slightly sweetened cream if desired and pipe stars or swirls on the top, decorate with whole Oreo cookies. Slice and serve.
PRO Tip:
For the cleanest slices, heat a sharp knife under running hot water, wipe dry and make your first cut. Heat and wipe knife clean after each cut.
PRO Tip:
Don’t make the whipped cream until just before serving. You don’t want it to melt. You can spread it over the top of the cheesecake and pipe some of it as swirls or stars (use a 1M piping tip) around the top of the cake like I did, or just put some stars at the head of each slice.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- 9-inch springform pan
- Parchment circles
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheet pan
- Wire cooling rack
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.
** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.
You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake (GF)
Cheesecake may be my favorite dessert. I love the creaminess and richness in every bite. Today’s Scrumptious Oreo Brownie Cheesecake checks all the boxes! It has a brownie base, pieces of Oreo cookies in the filling and more cookies for decoration on top. It is truly decadent and indulgent!
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) butter
- 1/4 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1/2 cup (60g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend * or regular all-purpose flour such as Gold Medal
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of kosher salt **
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 smaller size large eggs
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 bricks (8-oz each; 904g) full-fat cream cheese, at soft room temperature, preferably Philadelphia brand
- 1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1-1/4 cups (248g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (150g), at room temperature, in a cup with a spout
- 1/2 cup (113g) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 14 Oreo cookies (gluten free if needed), roughly chopped
- Extra whole cookies for decorating the top, optional
Whipped Cream (Optional)
- 1-1/2 cups (300ml) cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3 to 4 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Make the Brownie Crust: Set a rack in the center of the oven and a second rack on a lower rack, and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Lightly butter a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove. When fully melted, whisk in the cocoa powder and vanilla to combine. Set it aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt together. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and salt on high speed for about 4 to 5 minutes, until it's thick and very pale. Add the cooled cocoa mixture to the eggs/sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour and dry ingredients until white streaks disappear. Don't overmix. Use a spatula to gently mix in the final bits of flour until everything is incorporated.
5. Bake the Brownie Crust: Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan, spreading it if needed to the edges. Bake for about 15 minutes, until it's just set (it shouldn't be fully cooked). It might deflate in the center as it cools … this is normal. Let it cool while you make the filling.
6. Make the Cheesecake Filling: Set a rack on the bottom and one in the middle of the oven. Place a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan with about 2 inches (5cm) of boiling water in the bottom on the lower rack. The cheesecake will bake on the middle rack. Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
7. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream until completely smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl several time. With the mixer on low pour in the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition.
8. Add the cream and beat just until it’s evenly incorporated. Take the pan off the mixer and, using a spatula, scrape the bowl sides and bottom mixing in anything unincorporated, then fold the chopped Oreo cookies into the batter. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. You probably won’t use all the batter – only fill the pan about 3/4 full. If you want, you can bake the extra batter in a buttered ramekin or other small baking pan.
9. Bake the Cheesecake: Carefully place the pan on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake the cheesecake for 60 to 70 minutes. If the top begins to get too brown, tent with a piece of foil on top of the pan. If you are baking a small container with the extra filling, watch it carefully because it will bake much more quickly.
10. The cheesecake will be solid at the edges and should still be slightly jiggly in the center when the pan is nudged. It should register 145°F to 155°F (63°C to 68°C) in the center on an instant-read thermometer. Once the baking time is up, turn the oven off but let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, inside the oven with the door cracked open slightly with the handle of a wooden spoon, for another 30 to 60 minutes.
11. Cool and Chill the Cheesecake: Remove from the oven, and set on a wire rack. After about 5 minutes, run a long knife or offset spatula around the cake to loosen it from the pan, but do not release the springform ring. Cool the uncovered cheesecake completely to room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic (still in the pan) and refrigerate at least 4 hours and even better, overnight. Can be made up to 4 days in advance; keep covered and refrigerated.
12. After the chilling, run an offset spatula or a knife around the edges, loosen and remove the springform ring, then transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate.
13. Whip the Cream: Just before serving, in a cold bowl, whisk the heavy cream until foamy. Then add in the vanilla and powdered sugar, and continue beating on high to stiff peaks.
14. If desired, transfer some of the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip (I used a 1M tip) and pipe swirls or stars on top of the cheesecake, or simply spread it over with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Decorate with additional whole or halved Oreo cookies if desired. For the cleanest slices, heat a sharp knife under running hot water, wipe dry and make your first cut. Heat and wipe knife clean after each cut.
15. Store, covered, in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or freeze slices (without the whipped cream), well wrapped, for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.
** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s or another brand you will likely not need as much because they are saltier.
You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Brownie Base adapted from Pastry Wishes
Cake adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 501Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 2gSugar: 52gProtein: 7g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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