In the Kitchen: Double Chocolate Toffee Cheesecake

For those who have little-to-no interest in the all natural, healthy recipes I've been sharing lately, this one's for you! It may, in fact, be the exact opposite of healthy, if there is such a thing.

If you're looking for delicious gluttony in a chocolate graham crust, look no further. Yes, it's rich and sweet and decadent, but the sour cream style filling keeps it light and balances the flavors perfectly. You'll find a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 Tbsp sugar

Filling:

6 oz semisweet chocolate (chips or bar broke into pieces)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Topping:

4 Heath candy bars, chopped

1 dark chocolate candy bar

Grease a 9" springform pan and wrap two layers of aluminum foil around it.

To make the graham crumbs, you can either crush the crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or use a mini food processor. You'll need 1 1/2 to 2 packages of full graham crackers to get 2 1/2 cups of crumbs.

Once the crumbs are ready, combine them with the melted butter and sugar in a small bowl.

Press the crumbs into the greased pan, on the bottom and one inch up the sides. Place the foil wrapped pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350°. Let cool and prepare the filling.

Place the chocolate chips or pieces and the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl or heavy saucepan and melt, mixing until smooth. If you melt chocolate in the microwave, the key is to remove it before all the pieces are completely melted. Heat until soft and then stir to melt the rest of the way. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla, then gradually beat in the melted chocolate mixture. Add the eggs and beat on low until just combined.

Pour into the prepared crust and place the foil wrapped pan in a large baking pan. Add 1 1/2" of hot water to the baking pan and bake the cheesecake at 350° for 55 - 70 minutes until the center is just set.

Allow to cool on a wire rack or about 20 - 30 minutes then top with chopped heath pieces. You want the cheesecake to still be a little warm so the pieces melt a bit and stick to the top and each other. Let the cheesecake cool completely before adding the dark chocolate. You can do this after another 30 minutes or so, or refrigerate and add the chocolate before serving.

Chop the dark chocolate (one small candy bar is plenty) and melt in a glass bowl in the microwave. Drizzle with a spoon over the top of the cheesecake, allow to cool and harden then serve and enjoy!

If you're looking to impress, bake one of these up for your next party or get together. But be warned, no matter how much of a chocolate lover you are, cut small pieces. This one means business.

> Click here for a printable recipe card

And find more easy and delicious recipes here.