OREO Chocolate Spiderweb Cheesecake

Name: OREO Chocolate Spiderweb Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 375 min
Yield: 14
Ingredients: 1 pkg. OREO Cookies (33 cookies), divided; 2 Tbsp. butter, melted; 4 pkg. brick cream cheese, softened; 1 cup sugar; ¾ cup black cocoa powder; 2 tsp. vanilla; 4 eggs; 2 oz. white baking chocolate; 3 pieces black string licorice (10 inch), each cut into 8 pieces; 6 candy eyeballs; 2 tsp. ready-to-spread frosting

This amazing chocolate dessert proves Halloween treats aren't just for kids! Delicious OREO Cookie spiders top a spectacular homemade black cocoa cheesecake.

Prep time:

0 min

Total time:

0 h 0 min

Servings:

Makes 14 servings.

Ingredient list

1 pkg. (13.29 oz.) OREO Cookies (33 cookies), divided
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) brick cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
¾ cup black cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 oz. (1/2 of 4-oz. pkg.) white baking chocolate
3 pieces black string licorice (10 inch), each cut into 8 pieces
6 candy eyeballs
2 tsp. ready-to-spread frosting

Directions

Heat oven to 325°F.

Reserve 3 cookies for later use. Coarsely chop 12 of the remaining cookies; set aside.

Crush remaining cookies finely; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually add cocoa powder, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Stir in coarsely chopped cookies. Pour over crust.

Bake 1 hour 15 min. or until center of cheesecake is almost set.

Turn oven off. Open oven door slightly. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 min. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool cake completely before removing rim.

Melt white chocolate as directed on package; spoon into resealable plastic bag. Snip small piece off one bottom corner of bag; use to drizzle chocolate in spiral motion over top of cheesecake. Gently drag toothpick through lines, starting in center, to resemble a spider's web.

Refrigerate 4 hours. Meanwhile, make 3 spiders using the reserved cookies for the bodies, licorice pieces for the legs and candy eyes as shown in photo, securing all pieces to cookies with frosting.

Place spiders on top of cheesecake just before serving.

Recipe Tips

Use Room Temperature Ingredients
When making cheesecakes, bring the eggs and cream cheese to room temperature before using. This will allow for easier blending with the other ingredients. To bring to room temperature, remove the ingredients from the refrigerator about 30 min. before using.
Food Facts
Using black cocoa powder in this recipe gives the cheesecake its striking black color. The cocoa powder is ultra-Dutch processed, which makes it very dark and less acidic than regular cocoa powder. Look for it in the baking section in larger supermarkets and specialty food stores.
Substitute
If you cannot find black cocoa powder, you can substitute regular cocoa powder. Your cheesecake will just be more of a traditional chocolate brown in color, but still delicious!
How to Test Cheesecake Doneness
To avoid overbaking a cheesecake, check for doneness at the minimum baking time by gently shaking the pan. If the cheesecake is done, the edge should be slightly puffed and it will be set except for a small area in the center that will be soft and jiggly. Do not insert a knife into the center as this may cause the cheesecake to crack during cooling.
Substitute
Prepare using Neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese.