3 (8 oz.) packagesbrick-style cream cheese (full-fat), softened to room temperature
1 and ½cupsgranulated sugar
1tablespoonall-purpose flour
¾cupheavy cream
2teaspoonvanilla extract
¼teaspoonsalt
3largeeggs, room temperature
4oz.semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Begin boiling water for the water bath.
Line the bottom of a 9 or 10" springform pan with parchment paper.* Tie a slow-cooker oven liner around the pan (recommended). Wrap the bottom and sides tightly with at least 4 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap with more layers if you're not using the oven liner so water doesn't leak in from the water bath.
Make the Chocolate Crust:
Add the Oreo cookies to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix until evenly combined. Pour the crust mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly, then use your fingers or the bottom of a glass to pack it down tightly into the bottom of the pan.
Prebake the crust for 10 minutes.
Make the Filling:
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, use an electric mixer or the paddle attachment to beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour until smooth without any lumps. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, and mix until smooth. Wipe the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Mix in the room temperature eggs, one at a time, on low speed. Or use a whisk to mix them in by hand. Mix until just combined and don't overmix.
Pour about half of the cheesecake batter into a separate bowl.
Add the chocolate to a small bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Add the melted chocolate to half of the cheesecake batter and whisk until smooth.
Alternate adding each batter into the pan with the baked crust. Use a butter knife or a chopstick to carefully swirl them together.
Place the cheesecake inside a large roasting pan and very carefully pour the boiling water around it, going about 1½-2 inches up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake for 90 minutes. Gently shake the pan to check on it, if it looks really wobbly, keep baking for 10 minutes and check on it again.
Once the cheesecake is set around the edges and there's a 2-3" wobbly center, turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes-1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and the water bath and set on the counter to cool to room temperature for at least 1 hour. You can remove the foil and the oven liner bag, but don't try to take the cheesecake out of the pan.
Once it's cooled completely at room temperature, place the cheesecake, still in the pan and uncovered, in the fridge. Refrigerate overnight so the filling can fully set.
When ready to serve, carefully remove the sides of the pan and use a large, sharp knife to slice the cheesecake. Wipe the knife clean between each slice.
Notes
*To line the springform pan with parchment paper I just lay a sheet of parchment paper over the removable bottom and then close the sides around it.