Smiley In The Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I would like to think of myself as a good cheesecake maker. Cheesecakes can be a very tricky desert. You have to have patience to make this desert because it takes time but, is totally worth it in the end. Cheesecake has got to be one of my favorite deserts because it can be so versatile. There are many different types of cheesecakes too. I like to keep it pretty simple or else it takes away that amazing creaminess!! I love that melt in your mouth feeling of cheesecake. I decided for Thanksgiving this year I was going to make chocolate chip cheesecake.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch spring-form pan. Set crust aside.
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.
Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

Like I said earlier you must have patience when making a cheesecake. First off having the ingredients at room temperature helps everything mix together and be the same temperature when cooking. Also when the cheesecake is in the oven do not jump around or open the door at anytime. The cake can fall and when the door is constantly opened it really screws up the temp and can ruin the cheesecake. Another tip is patience!! I have a hard time not opening the spring form pan right away. The best thing you can do is just leave it!! Take it out of the oven let it sit on the counter for a bit and put it right in the fridge for overnight chill. Once the cake has chilled overnight take a knife around the edge to loosen and carefully open the spring form pan. I usually carefully run a knife under the crust to loosen it if I want it off the pan. When cutting the cheesecake it is very helpful to have a glass of hot water you can dip your knife in and a towel you can also wipe off excess on. This is if you want a clean cut cheesecake like me!