Snickers Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix Oreo crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a springform pan. (Bake for 8-10 minutes if desired.)

Cut bite-sized Snickers bars in half horizontally and place on top of crust, covering bottom of pan.

In an electric mixer, beat eggs (room temperature) with sugar at high speed until light. Beat in cream cheese (room temperature), one package at a time, until mixture is smooth (when I say smooth, I mean smooth; this is the whole secret to amazing cheesecake). Add vanilla, salt and sour cream; beat until smooth (remember what I said about smooth?).

Pour the filling mixture into crust and bake (for best results, use a water bath) for 45 minutes or until just firm when the pan is shaken gently (don’t worry if this takes over an hour; it’s different for me every time). Turn oven off and leave oven door open until cheesecake is fairly cool (this prevents cracking), then cover with plastic wrap and let it ‘ripen’ in the refrigerator for 3 days. Yes, THREE DAYS. (The cake will be good on the first day if you’re in a pinch, but trust me on this one. If you can wait until the third day, it will be worth it)

When ready to serve, remove sides of pan and drizzle cheesecake with chocolate and caramel sauce.

(Variations: make a graham cracker crust, omit Snickers and top with chocolate ganache; or add 1/2 cup of melted chocolate to cheesecake batter; or substitute Heath bars for Snickers and mix in mini chocolate chips and toffee pieces; or make a graham cracker crust and top with fresh macerated strawberries… the possibilities are literally endless!)