Orange Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

20 Chocolate Milano Cookies
1/3 Stick Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces)
4 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Orange Juice
16 oz of Cream Cheese (room temperature)
3 tsp Orange Extract
2 Tbsp grated Orange Rind
3 Eggs
1/2 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

Step 1:

Crush the cookies into small crumbs.

Step 2:

Combine with the butter and mix until the crumbs get moist. Press the crumbs down in a pie pan (for a more traditional cheesecake, use a spring-form pan; however a deep pie pan will work as well).

Step 3:

Bake the crust at 325 for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is nice and brown. While the crust cools a bit, heat the chocolate on LOW heat until it melts. Once it starts to melt add 1/2 of the orange juice and continually stir it until its fully melted.

Mix 3/4 cup sugar and the cream cheese together - you can use a mixer for this, however I am without one so here's the mixerless way to do it: Run your hands under hot water for about 45 seconds, and quickly pat dry. Start squeezing the cream cheese together, in a similar fashion that one would go about squeezing boobies. Once it starts getting soft and easy to mix, take a whisk and aggressively mix it for about 3 minutes.

Add the melted chocolate, and whisk for another three minutes. Mix in the rest of the OJ, the rind, and 2 tsp of extract. At this point take about 1/2 cup of the filling out and place in the fridge. Finally add your eggs (one at a time) to the filling.

Step 4:

Pour the filling in the pie crust and bake at 325F for 30 to 40 minutes. You want the center to be set (take a toothpick and stick it, if it comes out clean, its done).

Step 5:

Let cool for at least 6 hours (overnight is preferable).

Mix together the heavy cream and remainder of the sugar and extract. Keep whisking until the cream is set (like cool whip); about 10 to 15 minutes. Spread the topping evenly onto the cake.

Step 6:

Take that 1/2 cup filling I had you save and put it in a pastry bag (to make a really quick pastry bag, just take one of those veggie bags from the produce dept of a grocery store, fill it with the mixture, and cut 1/16in off the corner) and using a regular tip, pipe the topping across the top of the cake in parallel lines. Garnish and serve.