Mick's Oreo Cheesecake

For years, there was an excellent restuarant in town called Mick's - the first one I remember seeing was in Lenox Square, but several were over town - one on Ponce de Leon in Decatur, one on Peachtree, near Piedmont Hospital, one Peachtree near Crawford Long Hospital, one on Peachtree near the Peachtree Plaza Hotel and one on Ashford Dunwoody near Perimeter Mall.  Trust me, I have been to them all.  But a couple of years ago slowly one by one they started closing - I assume due to the poor economy and the final one to close up shop (near Crawford Long) closed.  It was a sad day in this town.

No more Bacon & Cheese Fetticini.  No more chicken fingers with that wonderful Peach dipping sauce.  No more Corn and Tomato Linguini.  No more Oreo Cheesecake.

Wait - hold the phone...yes, you can still get Mick's Famous Oreo Cheesecake but...you have to make it yourself.  Not a problem though, because it really is pretty easy to make but it just take a long time.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a section in their paper on Thursday's where people can request recipes from local restuarants and years ago, someone requested Mick's Oreo Cheesecake and luckily, they provided it.

This really does taste exactly like the original.  I made it today for my friend's birthday - she has requested it 3 years in a row. 

Mick's Oreo Cheesecake
(serves 12)

For the crust:

4 tablespoons butter (not margarine), melted
2 cups Oreo cookies, crushed fine (about 18 cookies)

For the filling:
3 pounds cream cheese
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups Oreo cookies, in chunks (about 15 cookies)

For the garnish (optional):
12 ounces whipped cream
12 Oreo cookies

To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 10-by-3-inch springform pan tightly with foil (to prevent water from leaking in). Line the bottom with a parchment circle. Set aside.


In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter and Oreo crumbs. Place in pan and press down firmly and evenly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

To make the filling: Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until soft (6 to 8 minutes). Use a rubber spatula to scrape bowl often to ensure even distribution.

Add sugar and blend well, scraping bowl just until mixture is smooth (no lumps). Reduce mixing speed to low, then slowly add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.

Remove bowl from mixer. With a wooden spoon, fold in Oreo chunks into batter. Pour batter into pan prepared with crumb crust; place cheesecake pan into large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with water, leaving 1 inch of space from the top of the cheesecake pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (usually 2 hrs and 45 minutes is perfect), until top of cheesecake is slightly golden. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.
To make the garnish (which I usually don't): If desired, top each slice of cheesecake with 1 ounce of real whipped cream and an Oreo cookie.

The secret to its exceptionally moist and creamy texture, is baking it very slowly in a water bath. To ensure that no water leaks in, cover the outside of the pan with foil.

You don't HAVE to let it refrigerate 24 hours before serving but it is better if you do.