Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Here we go again.... another decadent dessert. I honestly can't help it. It seems I'm always drawn to the recipes that are a little over the top. Okay, a lot over the top. But if you're going to all the trouble of making a cheesecake, why not make one that is sure to impress. Yeah baby, heap that praise on me and smack me on the bottom. After all, we need to feed our egos as well as our tummys.

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups firmly packed chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Ingredeints for Filling:

1 (16.5-ounce) tube chocolate chip cookie dough, room temperature

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: maraschino cheeries, whipped cream

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache:

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

3/4 cup semisweet chcocolate chips

Directions for Cheesecake:

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet on lower rack of oven. Fill halfway with water. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, and egg white. Press firmly on bottom and up sides of a 9-1/2 inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes; set aside to cool.

2. Press cookie dough firmly onto bottom of cooled crust. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1-1/2 cups sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well ater each addition. add flour, beating just until combined. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Pour cheesecake batter over cookie dough.

3. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes; turn oven off. Leave in oven with door closed for 4 hours. Remove chheesecake from oven. Gently runa knife around edge of pan on wire rack. Spoon Chocolate Ganache over top of cheesecake. Cover, and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pan to serve. Garnish with maraschino cheeries and whipped cream.

Directions for Chocolate Ganache:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, sugar, and rcorn syrup, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in chcolate until meldted and smooth. Cool slightly before use.

Recipe adapted from Southern Lady Simply Southern Cooking and Entertaining.