Smores Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp butter, melted
5 tbsp sugar
Cheesecake filling
24 ounces packages of cream cheese, softened (three 8 ounce packages)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup cocoa (I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup hot fudge topping, warm, plus more for topping (I used most of this 12.8 oz jar)
45-50 large marshmallows (for topping)
Instructions
Crust
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix well.
3. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom.
4. Bake crust for 10 minutes then remove.
5. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in, and set aside.
Cheesecake filling
1. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour and cocoa with an electric mixer until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
5. Add marshmallows in an even layer in the bottom of the pan, on top of crust.
6. Pour hot fudge topping over marshmallows.
7. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan.
8. Place springform pan inside another pan. Fill outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
9. Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes. Marshmallows may boil up through the top.
10. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 20 minutes.
11. Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes or until set.
12. Remove from oven and chill.
13. Once completely chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection bake.
14. Remove springform pan sides from cheesecake and place cheesecake on a cookie sheet.
15. Top cheesecake with a layer of marshmallows.
16. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to brown.
17. Remove cheesecake from oven and drizzle with more hot fudge and graham cracker crumbs.
18. Cheesecake can be served warm out of the oven (which I recommend), or refrigerated and served cold.
