Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Creamy, delicious New York-style cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust and dotted with mini chocolate chips – this chocolate chip cheesecake is going to be your new favorite. With a luxurious texture and just the right amount of chocolate.

If you love chocolate, but sometimes feel chocolate cheesecake is a little too rich – then this chocolate chip cheesecake is the perfect option. It starts with a thick, crunchy Oreo cookie crust (secretly my favorite part).  Then it has a creamy, tangy silky smooth New York cheesecake filling that’s filled with chocolate chips for a hint of chocolate in every bite. It’s topped with a layer of rich chocolate ganache and I studded the perimeter with chocolate kisses – which is optional, but a great option if you’re looking for something a little extra.

Baking Tips for Cheesecake

• Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese is the way to go. Always. Do not use lite or spreadable as it won’t provide the proper consistency.
• Sour cream makes the texture silky smooth and helps avoid that grainy texture that can sometimes happen with cheesecake.
• It’s imperative that the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream are room temperature before getting started. This means everything mixes together evenly, without lumps of cream cheese and without over mixing the eggs. Overmixing in the eggs can lead to cheesecake cracks.
• Use mini chocolate chips for this recipe. Regular chocolate chips are a lot heavier and can sink to the bottom of the cheesecake.
• Bake your cheesecake in a water bath. This keeps moisture in, reduces drastic changes in temperature (which can cause cracks), and makes the cheesecake texture luxuriously smooth.

The Water Bath Method

To make a water bath, you’ll wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil so that the bottom and sides are covered. Wrap it about 3-5 times so that all seams are covered at least once. The unbaked cheesecake is placed into a large roasting pan, and about ½ -1 inch (1-2 cm) of hot water. Then the whole thing goes in the oven to bake. The water insulates the cheesecake to keep moisture in and insulates it from large swings in temperature.

Serving Tips & Options for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Cheesecake is required to chill for at least 6 hours before serving. Therefore, I always make cheesecake the day before I plan to serve it – then chill overnight in the fridge. I’ll make the ganache before I plan to serve it – either in the morning or before dinner. You can also make the ganache right before serving, and instead of topping the entire cheesecake, let your guests drizzle it on top themselves. Feel free to skip the ganache if you prefer, or add a dollop of whipped cream on each piece. A drizzle of caramel is also delicious.

Pro Tip: For clean cuts, always use a sharp knife and not a table knife. Cut down through the crust in one motion, and wipe your knife with a piece of paper town in between each cut.

For more of my favorite cheesecake recipes:

• No-Bake Cheesecake
• New York Cheesecake
• Chocolate Cheesecake
• Cheesecake Bars

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Creamy, delicious New York-style cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust and dotted with mini chocolate chips - this chocolate chip cheesecake is going to be your new favorite. With a luxurious texture and just the right amount of chocolate.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Cooling and Chilling7 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Servings: 14 pieces

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

• 9-inch springform pan
• large roasting pan (big enough for the springform pan to fit inside)
• Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

Crust

• 24 Oreo cookies wafers and filling
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

• 24 ounces full-fat, brick-style cream cheese* softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup sour cream room temperature
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips*

Chocolate Ganache

• 4 ounces dark chocolate about 50%, or use semi-sweet
• ½ cup whipping cream
• chocolate kisses optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
• Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil multiple times so that all the seams are covered at least 1 (typically I'll wrap the pan about 4 times).

Crust

• Crush the Oreos (filling and wafers) in a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs. Or place in a freezer bag.
• Mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter.
• Then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven, leaving it turned on.

Cheesecake Filling

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Then beat in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Mix in the sour cream and cornstarch.
• Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl, then beat them into the cream cheese mixture until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Place the crust (with the springform pan still wrapped in aluminum foil) in the middle of the roasting pan.
• Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan (on top of the crust).
• Pour about ½-1 inch (1-2 cm) of water into the roasting pan. Place the entire thing in the oven.
• Bake the cheesecake for about 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven (at 350F). When its dne baking, it should have a slight wobble in the middle.
• Turn off the oven and open the door of the oven. Remove the cheesecake from the oven (in the roasting pan still) and gently trace around the edges with a thin, sharp knife. Let cool until the cheesecake reaches room temperature.
• Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan, wrap the top in aluminum foil and place in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Ganache

• Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.
• Heat the cream until almost boiling.
• Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth.
• Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and unclamp the outer ring of the springform pan.
• Pour the ganache over top, letting it drip down the sides. Then optionally, add chocolate kisses around the edges.
• Place the cheesecake back in the fridge until ready to serve.
• When serving, cut with a sharp knife being sure to slice through the crust. Wipe the knife in between cutting each slice.

Notes

1. Baking cheesecake requires a springform pan - not just a sandwich pan for making layer cakes. As well, an 8-inch springform will be too small for this recipe.
2. Cream cheese must be full-fat, brick style. Do not use lite or spreadable.
3. I highly recommend using mini chocolate chips because regular sized chocolate chips can sink to the bottom because they are heavier. 
4. Store leftover cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cheesecake can also be frozen for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge.
5. Nutrition information is an estimate only and based on 1 slice (with chocolate kisses), assuming the cheesecake is cut into 14 equal pieces. 

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 3mg