After a little dip of my toes into cheesecakes of the mini variety, I knew it was time to travel back through the rabbit hole to the normal world, where regular cheesecake makes sense again and mini cheesecakes just seem kind of pointless. They’re cute to look at, they were fun to make, but let’s face it: a single mini cheesecake is not enough cheesecake by any means. Like… it is, technically speaking, but it really isn’t.
When I serve slices of the cakes I make, I’m told by my family and friends that I truly have no concept of what makes up an acceptable portion size of cake. If there’s 6 of us, I plan to do my damned best to split an entire two-layer cake into about 7 gargantuan slices (a slice for leftovers of course), out of what I believe is sheer generosity for the hungry friends whom I am about to feed. But most of the time, I don’t even get that far. As it usually goes, I cut the first slice, maneuver it on to the plate, and announce, “Who wants cake!”
I’m then met with comments, nay, verbal assaults, such as the following:
“Are you kidding me?”
“That is the biggest piece of cake I have ever seen. I can not eat all of that.”
“Um…I’ll take that one if someone shares it with me.”
“I’ll take a slice like ONE THIRD of that size.”
“Can I have one about ONE EIGHTH of that size?”
“The plate is literally not big enough for that slice.”
“Jesus Christ Jennifer.”
The list goes on and on. Anyway, as you can tell, I like to control the portion size of the cheesecakes I’m making, and thus, I present to you a regular sized, Nutella Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. It’s the usual formula I know and love; a graham cracker crust, topped with creamy cheesecake. But this time, said cheesecake is filled with chocolate chips, topped with a thick layer of Nutella, with more chocolate chips (these are allowed to be mini) and even more Nutella for serving. I know, I know, I went from encouraging portion-controlled desserts just last week, with my Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes, right to one that might give you a heart attack with just one piece. But, at least if it kills you, you’ll have gone out eating a massive slice of delicious cheesecake covered in chocolate chips and smothered in Nutella.
Chocolate Chip Nutella Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs about 12 full crackers
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup of butter melted
- 4 8 oz bars of Philadelphia cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup Nutella plus more for serving, if desired
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 325° F. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with 3 tbsp of sugar and butter, and press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform cake pan.
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With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until just blended. Do not over mix. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
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Pour the cheesecake batter over the graham cracker crust and bake for about 55 minutes. The cheesecake will be slightly golden around the edges and the center will jiggle a little if you shake the pan slightly, when done. Once the cheesecake is done, heat 1 cup of Nutella in a microwave safe dish for 25 seconds. Spread the melty Nutella over the cheesecake and top with chocolate chips. Cool the cheesecake in the fridge for at least three hours before serving. Top each slice with additional Nutella before serving, if desired. Enjoy!