Gluten Free Mint Chocolate Layered Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
• 10 oz. (by weight) Pamela's Products Simplebites Extreme Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies (one 7 oz. package, plus 12 additional cookies) (or 10 ounces 1 (7-ounce) package Pamela's Products Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies or Gluten Free Chocolate Wafers Recipe)*
• 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
• 1-1/3 cups (10 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 4 (8 oz.) package gluten free cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon mint extract (optional)

Instructions:

To Make the Crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Pulsate the cookies in a food processor or roll them using a rolling pin while in a sealed gallon-size storage bag.
3. Add the melted butter and pulsate or knead in the bag until thoroughly combined.
4. Press dough onto the bottom and the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To Make the Filling:
5. Lower oven temperature to 325°F.
6. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl over (not in) a pan of boiling water; keep warm.
7. Blend cream cheese and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
8. Add eggs one at the time until each is blended in well on low to medium speed.
9. Add whipping cream, vanilla and mint extracts; and blend again on low speed.
10. Set aside 1/4 cup of batter. Add t2 cups of batter (not all of it) to the top of the crust in the pan and spread evenly.
11. Place the springform pan inside a large roasting pan. Add enough water to the roasting pan to go halfway up the side of the pan, creating a water bath.
12. Bake for 35 minutes on the center shelf of the oven.
13. Blend the chocolate and flour into the remaining batter, not into the 1/4 cup that you set aside.
14. Once the first layer is baked, remove from oven and add the chocolate batter. Add dollops of the plain batter (1/4 cup set aside batter) and swirl into the chocolate layer only.
15. Return to the oven in the water bath and bake for 35 minutes.
16. Cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. The slower it cools, the less likely it is to crack.
17. Refrigerate overnight. This cheesecake may be made 2-3 days in advance.
18. The crust on this recipe is gooey. If you wish a more traditional cookie crust, add less butter. Pamela's cookie bag contains a recipe for a traditional crust, though it is not large enough for a 10" springform pan.

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