Sometimes you just need a mountain of chocolate! This Chocolate Explosion has rich chocolate mousse piled high on an Oreo crust, filled with chunks of vanilla cheesecake, Oreos, nuts, toffee bits -- truly indulgent!
Cheesecake:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8" pan with tin foil or parchment paper.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.
Spread into prepared pan and bake for 23-25 minutes, until top is just set (may still have a slight jiggle to it, but will look dry on top). Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating until cold.
CrustIn a food processor, combine butter and 300g Oreo cookies and process until smooth.
Press firmly into the bottom and 1" up the sides of a 9" Springform pan (or another 9" pan -- a pie plate would work!). Set aside (refrigerate if overnight).
Mousse:In a large bowl, melt together cream and chocolate in a microwave (start with 1 minute on high, then do 30 second intervals until melted, stirring each time). Place in the refrigerator until completely chilled (the cream won't whip unless it is very cold! Be patient).
In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let sit 1 minute. Microwave on high for 15-20 seconds and whisk until gelatin dissolves. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Whip cream until soft peaks form, add in the sugar and gelatin gradually, whipping until stiff peaks form.
Fold in crushed Oreos and chopped cheesecake and spread into crust. Garnish with almonds, toffee bits, and Oreos as desired. Refrigerate at least 5-6 hours or overnight, until chilled and totally set.
Notes
This dessert is most easily made over the course of 2-3 days, which means it's great for making ahead! Make the cheesecake one day, because it needs to be cold. You could also melt the chocolate and whipping cream this day because it needs to be completely chilled to whip. Then make the crust, mousse and finish the dessert on the second day, and chill for a few hours or overnight. Of course, you can always speed this up by cubing and chilling the cheesecake in the freezer!