Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

This is my husband's favorite dessert. He requests it every year for his birthday. It is creamy with just a little of that cream cheese twang. The filling and topping are from a TOH recipe submitted by Christina Till, the crust has been adapted to our tastes.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Yields: 1 9-in. Cheesecake

Ingredients

• Crust

• 20  Oreo cookies, crushed fine
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted

• Filling

• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1  cup sugar
• 4  teaspoons cornstarch
• 4  eggs, beaten
• 1⁄3 cup  whipping cream
• 3  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄2 cups  mini chocolate chips

• Topping

• 3  ounces  semisweet chocolate, melted
• 1  tablespoon butter, melted
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1⁄4 cup  whipping cream

Directions

1. Crust:.
2. Combine crushed Oreo cookies and butter in a bowl.
3. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9 inch springform pan.
4. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Filling:.
6. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat or the cheesecake will crack.
7. Add cornstarch and sugar and mix until combined.
8. Add eggs to mixture and mix until just combined.
9. Gently stir in the cream, vanilla and chocolate chips.
10. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
11. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 60 minutes. Check often after 45 minutes to avoid overcooking the cheesecake.
12. Cheesecake is done when edges are firm but center is still slightly jiggly.
13. Turn oven off, but leave cheesecake in oven for 10-15 minutes.
14. Remove cheesecake, run a small spatula around edge of pan and put cheesecake back in oven to finish cooling. This will help reduce cracking.
15. Remove cheesecake from oven after 45-60 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature.
16. Topping:.
17. Once cheesecake is cool, melt chocolate in microwave.
18. Add butter and mix well.
19. Add powdered sugar and cream and mix until smooth. Mixture will appear thick and lumpy, but keep mixing until smooth.
20. Spread topping over cheesecake.
21. Refrigerate cheesecake at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.
22. Cooking time does not include time for cheesecake to cool.