Food and Recipes Desserts Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Let this elegant chocolate cheesecake be the centerpiece of your holiday tablescape featuring a gorgeous White Chocolate Snowflake in the center. By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on December 6, 2019 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Total Time: 12 hrs 25 mins Yield: 10 servings Ingredients 1 1/2 cups crushed dark chocolate-and-almond shortbread cookies (about 18 cookies; we tested with Keebler Dark Chocolate and Almond Shortbread Sandies) 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 (4-oz.) semisweet chocolate baking bars, chopped 1 cup whipping cream 4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs Ganache Topping 1 cup whipping cream 1 (4-oz.) semisweet chocolate baking bar 1 (4-oz.) dark chocolate baking bar Garnish: fresh raspberries or White Chocolate Snowflake Directions Preheat oven to 300°. Combine crushed cookies and butter. Press mixture on bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Microwave chocolate and cream at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, beating just until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Add chocolate mixture, beating just until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or just until center is set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Make Chocolate Ganache: Bring cream to a light boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Process chocolate bars in a food processor until coarsely chopped. With processor running, pour cream through food chute in a slow, steady stream, processing until smooth. Let mixture cool until slightly warm (about 20 minutes). Remove sides of pan, and place cheesecake on a serving plate. Slowly pour warm Ganache Topping over cheesecake, spreading to edges. Chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish, if desired. Jim Franco Print