Enjoy the heavenly bliss of a cheesecake fused with the refreshing tartness of lemon in this Lemon Oreo Cheesecake. Lemony, but not so much to make you pucker, this cheesecake is simply decadent.
Perfect for any celebration like Mother’s Day or a birthday…or because it’s Monday…this cheesecake is always a hit. The crust is made using Lemon Oreo Cookies, which can also be used to decorate on or around the cheesecake. Cookies are also in the cheesecake for an added texture to the smooth creaminess of cream cheese.
A few things before you start
Begin by wrapping the bottom of your spring-form pan with heavy foil. The foil is for keeping the pan waterproof from the “bath” you’ll be setting the cheesecake in later for baking. You don’t need this for the crust, but the crust gets baked first, which means the pan will be too hot for you to handle afterwards. Safety first.
Also, move your oven rack to the lower third position, then preheat your oven to 350°.
Making the Lemon Oreo Cheesecake crust
Using a food processor or blender, make 20 of those Oreos into fine crumbs and mix with melted butter.
Spray the inside of a spring-form pan with non-stick spray, then press the mixture in an even layer on the bottom and bake for about 10 minutes.
As the crust cools you can begin making the filling.
Making the cheesecake filling
With an electric mixer, thoroughly mix together your cream cheese and sugar. Add in the sour cream, lemon extract, and the rind from a fresh beautiful lemon.
Then add in the eggs, one at a time, and lastly, fold in the remaining crumbled or chopped Lemon Oreos.
If you think you might want to decorate with some of these crumbled Oreos, now would be the time to set some aside. Truth be told, I can’t make it through one of these cheesecakes without downing a few of the cookies.
A girl has to keep her energy up, right?
Last step for the filling, pour it on top of the cooling crust and it’s ready for the oven.
One note, when mixing the filling, don’t over mix it. Over mixing it causes bubbles, which will make the cheesecake rise too quickly causing cracks on the surface.
Baking and bathing the cheesecake
So now you need a roasting pan that is larger than your spring-form pan. Place your spring-form pan inside the roasting pan and set them both in the oven.
With a pitcher of water, fill the roasting pan about half way up the side of the spring-form pan.
Remember the foil? That foil keeps the spring-form pan water-proof so that your cheesecake stays perfectly dry, yet the water in the “bath” allows your cheesecake to stay moist in the oven and it helps the filling to rise slowly and evenly, thereby preventing it from cracking.
When pouring the water into the roasting pan, make sure the water level does not go higher than the lowest part of the foil.
Bake for about an hour or until the center is almost set.
Reduce the cracking on your cheesecake
To help reduce the chances of your cheesecake cracking on top, don’t over mix and use the bath water method while it’s baking.
Also, once it’s done baking, turn the oven off and open the door part way leaving the cheesecake in the oven. This allows the cheesecake to cool off, but not too fast. I still get a crack now and then, but these tips definitely help.
Last step, finish cooling the cheesecake on the counter, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours so the cheesecake thoroughly sets up.
I prefer refrigerating it over night, but I don’t always have the time for that. Enjoy!
Lemon Oreo Cheesecake
Materials
For the crust:
- 5 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 20 Lemon Oreo cookies
For the filling:
- 1 cup sugar
- 24 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp. lemon extract
- rind from 1 lemon
- 3 eggs
- remaining Lemon Oreo cookies,* (approx. 18 unless you ate some) roughly chopped
Instructions
For the crust:
- Move oven rack to lower third position. Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap bottom and sides of 9" spring-form pan with 1 sheet of heavy duty foil, making it leak-proof. Spray inside bottom of pan with cooking spray.
- Using a blender or food processor, make 20 cookies into fine crumbs. Combine with melted butter and mix together. Spread evenly on bottom of pan. Press crumbs to make even layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool while you prepare filling.
For the filling:
- In a large bowl, mix sugar with cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream, extract, and rind. Mix well. Add one egg at a time, scraping sides of bowl.
- Fold in chopped Oreos. Pour filling over crust.
- Place spring-form pan into larger roasting pan and place into the oven. Using a pitcher, fill the roasting pan with water until water level is approx. half way up the side of the spring-form pan.
- Bake for 55 - 60 minutes or until the center is almost set. Turn the oven off and open the door part way for about 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to further cool to room temperature on wire rack.
- Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours. Remove the sides of pan and decorate top with optional Cool Whip and additional cookie crumbles.
- Serve chilled, refrigerate any left-overs. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This Lemon Oreo Cheesecake is delicious after a dinner of Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole and Lime Queso Salad. Then again, I could eat this cheesecake as a meal in itself.
Happy baking and have a blessed day.
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Your recipe did not indicate how many eggs. I put in 3, I hope it turns out
Hi Judy, You are so right, and I couldn’t apologize more. Yes, 3 eggs, and I sure hope you liked it after all that. I’ve since fixed the recipe, and thank you so much for bringing that to my attention.
It turned out perfect and my husband loved it! It was for his birthday.
Yay! I’m so relieved. Again, thank you for pointing that out to me, and please tell your husband happy birthday.
The teeny Oreos for crust do you do the whole cookie even the filling
Hi Cindy — Great question, and yes, use the whole Oreo cookie, filling and all. And just to clarify, these are the normal-sized Oreos. Actually, any time a recipe calls for Oreo cookies, you can assume they mean the whole cookie. Hope this helps.