Milk Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake

By bakeaholic

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 pkg (200g) chocolate wafer cookies
• 7 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• 12 oz. (approx. 350 g.)milk chocolate, chopped
• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. For crust, pulse pistachios and sugar in food processor to grind. Add wafer cookies and melted butter and grind until an even texture. Press into bottom of prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling.
3. Sprinkle 1/2 cups of pistachios over crust. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat while there are a few lumps, and continue stirring to melt. Set aside.
4. Beat cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar while beating, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add eggs on medium-low speed, one at a time, until all are added. Beat in chocolate, cream, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and vanilla on medium-low speed. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, then turn oven off and bake 30 minutes more. Open oven door and let cheesecake sit for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently run spatula around inside edge of pan to loosen. Cool for 2 hours before chilling overnight.
5. To serve, carefully remove the springform ring. Dust top with cocoa powder and press remaining 1 cup of chopped pistachios around the sides of the cheesecake.