Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

If you think I would let a hip injury that left me unable to walk for 2 days and that required a visit to my acupuncturist stop me from baking, you are mistaken. The blog must go on! The piercing agony as I hobbled and limped to gather and mix ingredients and the discomfort of standing when I should be sitting and resting were all worth it. Martha's staff voted these delights as a favorite and I vow to do the same.
The 42 Oreo cookies and 2 lbs. of cream cheese were a little steep but I made sure to purchase Oreos on sale and 4 blocks of cream cheese from Costco.
My lovely assistant Anna put 12 Oreos in a Ziploc bag and beat them with a rolling pin. She placed a whole cookie in the bottom of each liner while I beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl using a hand held blender. Drizzled 4 eggs, added sour cream and salt and Anna stirred in the chopped cookies.
Make sure to fill each cup almost to the top which I did not do and was left with too much batter to dump. I cringe when having to throw food away. Baked at 275 for 10 minutes, rotated, and baked for 10 more. Cheesecakes are best served cold when they have been refrigerated for at least 4 hours. I couldn't wait to taste them which led me to place a few in the freezer for 15 minutes before my family and I devoured them for our lunch desserts.
Love, love, love this recipe! Ironically, the recipe was so simple that I forgot about the pain I endured as I sat and savored a mini cheesecake.

Icebox Chocolate-Flake Cookie

I know I keep saying how easy a lot of the recipes are but this cookie takes the cake. It requires only one bowl of an electric mixer where you beat butter and sugar, add the egg and vanilla, then flour, salt, and Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate. Instead of two rolls, I produced three from the batter after rolling into a log. Froze for an hour, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds and baked for 8 minutes, rotated, then baked for 6 more. I invited some family and friends over for a Labor Day lunch to feast on summmer rolls and sushi and I needed something simple. The prep work for the rolls took the whole morning but I knew they, especially me would look forward to something sweet.
Jordan, Swasthitha, and Anna gobbled them up because this cookie tasted like an ice cream cone-refreshing, light, and just the right amount of sweet.

Martha instructs you to sift out the fine dust of bittersweet chocolate and discard after chopping 4 oz., but there is no wasy I'm throwing out any chocolate!