Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake

2010 Christmas with Southern Living

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 24  chocolate wafer cookies
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
• 2.5 (4 ounce)  semisweet chocolate, baking bars divided
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup sugar
• 3  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5  large eggs
• 1 (11 1/2ounce) package  chocolate chunks, divided
• 3⁄4 cup  whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°; process cookies and 2 T sugar in a food processor until cookies are coarsely crushed.
2. With the processor running, pour butter through food chute; process until cookies are finely crushed.
3. Press mixture firmly on bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan.
4. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan.
5. Bake for 10 minutes; let cool.
6. Decrease oven temperature to 325°.
7. Break 1 baking bar into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl; microwave on HIGH 1 minute; stir until smooth.
8. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
9. Gradually beat in melted chocolate; beat in 1 cup sugar and flour.
10. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
11. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chunks.
12. Pour batter into baked crust; sprinkle with remaining chocolate chunks.
13. Bake for 1 hour until set.
14. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan; cool completely on wire rack.
15. Cover and chill 8 hours.
16. Remove sides and bottom of pan; place cheesecake on a serving plate.
17. Chop remaining 1 1/2 baking bars and place in a microwave-safe bowl; add whipping cream, and microwave on HIGH 1 minute.
18. Stir until blended and smooth; let stand 5 minutes.
19. Pour ganache over chilled cheesecake; allowing ganache to spill over edges of cheesecake; smooth ganache with an offset spatula.
20. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.