Brownie Chunk Cheesecake

Originally from Cooking Pleasures Magazine

Crust

31 crème filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling

3 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 eggs

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped brownies

Topping

8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 oz white chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients.  Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch springform pan.  Wrap pan with heavy-duty foil; freeze 30 minutes.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium speed until blended.  Beat in sour cream and 1 cup cream.  Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended.  Slowly beat in flour.  Fold in brownies.

Place springform pan in large baking or blroiler pan.  Pour batter into crust (batter will come to within 1/4 inch of top edge).  Add enough hot tap water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.  Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until edges are puffed and top is dry to the touch.  Center should move slightly when pan is tapped but should not ripple as if liquid.

Remove springform pan from baking pan; remove foil.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Refrigerate overnight.

Melt milk chocolate and 1/3 cup cream in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Pour over top of cheesecake.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Pour white chocolate into small resealable plastic bag.  Snip off corner of bag and drizzle chocolate over cheesecake.  Refrigerate at least one hour.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Thoughts and Tips:
You can use any kind of brownies that you desire in this.  For ease, I made a batch of Betty Crocker from a box.
Leave fairly good size chunks of brownie and fold them in gently.  If the pieces are too small, you lose the flavor in the final cheesecake.
There will be water in the foil around the pan, so have a towel handy when you remove it and be very careful as it will be hot!
You can melt the chocolate for the topping in the microwave.  Place chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat on high for 30 seconds, stir, then heat in additional 15 second increments until completely melted.

Let's face it, brownies and cheesecake and chocolate glaze are probably a bit of an overkill, but WOW is this a great dessert!  The cheesecake is nice and creamy and the combination of flavors is definitely amazing.  Cut small pieces (about 1/16th of the cake) because it is very rich.