Enjoy xo

For the Golden Girls tribute drag show last year, I was charged with making the cheesecake.  (I know, your mind might explode, I just said so many amazing things at once.)  Of course, having mushy pieces of cheese cake might get messy for perfectly lipsticked queens, faux queens and their admirers–so I put the cheesecake on a stick and encased them with white chocolate.

Now, a certain cheesecake admirer and golden girl of mine, Treah, had been lusting over my pops for a whole year.  I had promised to make her a cheese cake for her birthday– and her special day arrived.  See below for my cheesecake recipe.

For some great pics from the Golden Girls night, visit Kelsy Chauvin’s photo fabulous Flicker page here. Many thanks to Lauren Logiudice, founder, co-producer and faux queen extraordinaire of the annual Golden Girls party.  Read her blog at:  www.laurenlogiudice.wordpress.com

Golden Girls Cheesecake Recipe

Total prep time: 30 mins-1hr, cook time: 2 hours, chill time 10 hours

—  1 pack Newman’s Own mint oreo cookies

—  1 stick of butter

Filling:

—  20 oz cream cheese

—  2 c. sour cream

—  1/2 c light agave

—  1/2 c sugar (or granulated maple sugar)

—  1 Tbs vanilla extract

—  2 Tbs lemon juice

—  2 full eggs

—  3 just egg yolks

—  1/4 c chocolate powder

Preheat the oven to 300.  Use a spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a food processor pulverize cookies  (or smash a rolling pin to a full zip lock baggie).  In a bowl combine the cookie crumbs with the stick of butter (melted)(reserve a little bit to coat the pan).  Push 2/3 of this into the bottom of the spring form pan (this will be the bottom of your crust) (aka, yumminess!)  and put the other 1/3 on a cookie sheet.  Pop both of these in the oven for 10 mins.  When done put in the fridge to cool.  When cooled, brush the edges of the pan with butter.

In a big bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese and sugar/maple/agave and mix until well combine, about 2 mins.

In another bowl, combine the vanilla, eggs, yolks, and lemon.

Pour this mixture in with the other one and incorporate well. Pour 2/3 of this into the pre-baked pan w/ crust.  With the remaining 1/3, add the chocolate powder until well mixed.  For a fun swirly effect, pour in this chocolaty mixture with the white one.

Lower oven temperature to 250. Boil a kettle of water.  Once boiling, pour this water into a deep cookie sheet that is ALREADY sitting on a lower rack in your oven.  (This will help cook your cheesecake with steam.) On the rack above the try of water, on the middle rack,  place your cheesecake to bake for one hour.  Okay–here is a secret trick here: turn off the oven, open the door for one min and then shut it and leave it in there for another hour.  (total time in the oven, 2 hrs)

Let the cheesecake come to a room temp and then put it in the fridge for 8-10 hours to set.

Hopefully the edges of the cake have pulled away from the edge of the pan.  Pop open the spring form pan and place on a platter. With the remaining cookie crumbs, press them into the side of the cake.

Here is Treah, about to enjoy.  Happy birthday love!  xo