i'd rather be baking

So, I really like Annie’s Eats. A lot. Annie makes beautiful food and her recipes are refreshingly real. As in, they aren’t going to take me the entire day to make. I like that in a recipe.

Do you know what else I like? Cheesecake recipes that don’t require a multitude of cream cheese or a water bath. And Oreos. So when I read this post I got really excited.

My sister’s in town and this was just the thing to mix up and throw in the oven before doing a little downtown shopping. That’s another thing I like. Retail therapy.

These were also excellent for sending to my husband’s office, where they apparently were a huge hit and inspired a footrace to grab the last one. All of which are things I like. Are we sensing a theme here? Maybe I’m four years old.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars
Barely adapted from Annie’s Eats

For the crust:
23 Oreo cookies*
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature**
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp yogurt
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
12 Oreo cookies

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with foil. To make the crust, place the Oreos in the bowl of a food processor. Process, pulsing, until the cookies are finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until the cookie crumbs are moistened. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press the crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside and prepare the filling while maintaining the oven temperature.

To make the filling, add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar until well combined. Blend in the yogurt, vanilla and salt. Beat in the egg and egg yolk on medium-high speed until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. Pulse the remaining Oreos six or seven times in the food processor and break up any big pieces by hand if needed, then stir in with a rubber spatula.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 1 hour to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

To cut the bars, pull the cake from the pan by lifting the foil up out of the pan. Place on a cutting board, peel away the foil, and slice into bars. Clean the knife blade between each slice to keep the edges neat. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 350°F for 35 to 38 minutes.

*Okay, so I used store-brand “Twist and Shout” cookies rather than Oreos. I dare you to taste the difference.

**I nearly always use reduced-fat cream cheese and this was no exception. Its texture is remarkably close to the real deal and I happily save a few calories when I can.