The biggest adjustment for my son’s distant learning BACK TO SCHOOL route has been the lack of in-person social interaction with his friends. He’s told me he misses recess and the conversations they had as they dug into their lunch boxes. I heard what he said and came up with a way to make his lunch time special here at home. I decided I would make a deluxe dessert every week and during his mid–day break away from the screen, him and I would have daily heart to heart chats (where no topic was off the table) while eating our dreamiest sweet treat.
I double time jumped on Instacart and selected Northgate Market as my mercado of choice. The first dessert of order had to have Oreo cookies in it he said, I added them into my cyber cart. I’m well versed in the inventory of Northgate Market and I know they carry all my favorite Latin ingredients, this allows me to go a little outside the box and make something that would cater to my son’s flavor palate desires. He’s especially loving Zuko’s Horchata right now, so why not make a Oreo Horchata Cheesecake! I used El Guapo ground cinnamon to make sure the cheesecake hit just right. Our dessert chat was a huge success and made BTS feel a little more human and less zoomy.
Ingredients for Oreo Horchata Cheesecake :
Crust:
- 1 package of Oreo Cookies (36 ccokies)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
Filling:
- 24 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups Zuko Horchata Mix
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon El Guapo ground cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray or grease with a generous amount of butter. Set to the side.
Crust Making:
- Place Oreos in a blender or food processor. Grind cookies into a fine crumb, add melted butter and mix until combined. The mixture should look like wet sand. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of your prepared pan.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes to ensure a crisp crust. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the filling.
Filling:
- In a stand-up mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Blend in Zuko Horchata Mix, salt and sour cream.
- Add in vanilla extract and eggs one at a time with the mixer on low. Mix until smooth.
- Carefully wrap the springform pan in a few sheets of foil to ensure no water seeps into the pan while baking during water bath step. Fold the sheets of foil over the top of the pan.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the cooled crust. Spread the top evenly with an offset knife.
- Transfer the foil covered pan to a large baking dish then fill the bottom of the baking dish with an inch high of boiling hot water. The water bath will help reduce cracks in cheesecake.
Bake:
- Bake Cheesecake for an hour. Then turn off the oven, crack the oven door 1 inch, and leave cheesecake in oven to cool for 60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and water bath. Carefully unwrap foil off pan and place on a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
- Place cheesecake in fridge overnight uncovered to chill and set.
Cinnamon whipped cream:
- In a stand-up mixer add whipping cream and sugar and whisk on high until peaks form.
- Add whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a tip and pipe whipped cream onto the cheesecake creating the design of your choice. Sprinkle the top with El Guapo ground cinnamon.
- Cut and serve.
- Enjoy!
