Place 18 chocolate sandwich cookies into a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs.
18 chocolate sandwich cookies
Add the melted butter and process until fully combined.
4 tablespoons melted butter
Place chocolate crumb mixture in the bottom of a springform pan and press mixture down firmly. Freeze while you are making the filling.
For the filling:
Mix the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
16 ounces mascarpone cheese, ⅔ cup powdered sugar
Add whipping cream and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Be careful to not overmix or filling will become grainy.
1 cup whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Scoop filling onto prepared crust and smooth out with an offset spreader. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Transfer cheesecake from refrigerator to freezer 30 minutes before serving to "set" the filling and ensure clean cuts.
Notes
Cookies: Chocolate sandwich cookies make a great base for the crust but you can also use a box of chocolate cookie crumbs from the grocery store.Butter: Both unsalted and salted work in this recipe. Mascarpone Cheese: Mascarpone cheese is a must for this recipe. This Italian "cream cheese" is in the refrigerated section of the grocery store or in the specialty cheese section.Heavy Whipping Cream: The heavy cream gives this dessert its fluff and cannot be substituted with the same results.This cheesecake is best when it is consumed in 2 days otherwise the crust starts to get soggy.Tips✘ Mascarpone is a richer, creamier cheese so it doesn’t set as firmly as a cream cheese cheesecake. Chill cheesecake for several hours or overnight and then freeze for 30 minutes before slicing for clean cuts.✘ Keep whipping cream chilled until ready to whip. This allows you to get stiffer peaks faster. I also recommend that you use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters. Don’t overwhip the mascarpone and whipping cream otherwise it gets a grainy texture.