Cookie Dough Cheesecake with Milk Chocolate Ganache

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9’’ springform pan. 2. Prepare the crust. In a saucepan over low heat or microwave, melt the butter. Allow it to cool slightly. In a medium-size bowl, combine the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined. Pour into springform pan. 3. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Set aside to cool. 4. Meanwhile, prepare the cookie dough filling. Add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt on low speed, or by hand. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Gently press the dough onto the brownie crust. Place the crust in the freezer, and freeze at least 2 hours, until the cookie dough is frozen solid. (This is very important, and cannot be skipped. Otherwise, the cookie dough will be dry when it bakes.) 5. Prepare the cheesecake filling. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until completely smooth, with no lumps. Once the cookie dough is frozen, pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the cookie dough. 6. Bake for 40 minutes. (If you are baking the cheesecake in a toaster oven, turn the pan 180 degrees 20 minutes into the bake time.) 7. While the cheesecake is cooling, prepare the milk chocolate ganache. Break up the milk chocolate into small pieces in a medium-size bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Watch it carefully to ensure that it doesn’t boil over. Pour the heated cream over the milk chocolate, and whisk until completely smooth. Allow the ganache to cool slightly until it begins to thicken. 8. Pour the ganache over the cooled cheesecake, and refrigerate 1-2 hours to set before serving the finished cheesecake.