This cheesecake is a creamy chocolate explosion that leaves you with the option to personalize the recipe using your preference of candy. In this version, the cheesecake has an Oreo crust and chocolate base, and is filled with creamy nougat and caramel candies. It is perfectly rich and delicious!

Now that the sugar rush from Halloween is beginning to subside, I wanted to get this recipe out there so that you can use some of your extra Halloween candy to throw into this cheesecake! Reese’s, 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way, M&M’s, Rolos… you name it. If it goes with chocolate, throw it in there. In this specific recipe I used 3 Musketeers, Rolos and Milky Way- the creamy nougat and caramel pair perfectly with the rich chocolate cheesecake.

Here are a few of my cheesecake tips:

Use room temperature cream cheese & beat it well. Cold cream cheese will be harder to beat, which will leave lumps in your cheesecake. Make sure to take your cream cheese out of the fridge at least 1-2 hours before beginning baking.
Bake using a water bath. A water bath is simply a pan of hot water that is placed in the oven while baking. It adds moisture to the oven and helps to keep your cheesecake from cracking. A water bath also provides a more even bake.
Wrap the outside of your spring-form pan in aluminum foil. These pans are notorious for leaking. So avoid the smoky house and thoroughly cover the bottom and sides of your pan with aluminum foil.
Make sure that the cheesecake cools slowly. This will also help prevent cracking. I recommend turning the oven off when there is still a 2-inch jiggle in the middle of your cheesecake and then leaving the cheesecake in the oven until it reaches room temperature.

Now, let’s get to baking this chocolate cheesecake! I found the base chocolate cheesecake recipe from OMG Chocolate Desserts and did some slight modifications, original recipe is linked here.

Chocolate Candy Cheesecake

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

Crust

1 package Oreos about 35 cookies
5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 eggs
8 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 cup of chocolate chips or 2 baking bars (chopped)
2 ounces german sweet chocolate ½ baking bar (chopped)
8 fun sized bars Milky Way chopped & divided
8 fun sized bars 3 Musketeers chopped & divided
16 Rolos chopped & divided

Ganache Topping

8 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 cup of chocolate chips or 2 baking bars (chopped)
¾ cup heavy cream

Instructions

To make the crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan and wrap in aluminum foil.
Finely crush the oreo cookies using a blender, food processer or rolling pin (you can leave the cream filling in).
Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and add to crushed cookies. Stir well.
Press the crumb mixture on to bottom of greased spring-form pan and bake for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make the filling

Melt semi-sweet and german sweet chocolate and set aside to cool until just warm & not hot.
Chop candy into small pieces, then set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat until smooth.
Add in eggs one at a time. Mixing on low speed after each addition. Do not over beat.
Add in melted chocolate and mix on low speed until combined.
Use a wooden spoon to fold in chopped candy (reserving at least 1 cup of chopped candy for topping).
Pour the chocolate filling over the crust and smooth out the top.
Add water bath to oven: fill a separate pan with 2 inches of warm water and place on the rack below where the cheesecake will be baking (I typically use a roasting pan).
Bake the cheesecake until there is a 2-inch jiggle at the center (45 mins-1 hour), then turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside.
Leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then remove and cool until it is at room temperature.
Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan then remove the spring-form. Cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours (better to wait overnight).

To make the ganache topping

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream until hot (almost boiling).
Add chocolate to saucepan and reduce to low heat. Stir constantly until all of the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.
Let ganache cool for 5-10 minutes, then pour over the cheesecake (letting the ganache set for a few minutes will give you a better drip effect down the sides of the cheesecake).
Sprinkle remaining chopped candies over the cheesecake, then refrigerate until set.