Chocolate Cookie Crumbs

[hippywife]

Not too long ago, someone around here lamented the fact that it was difficult to find the chocolate wafer cookies in the store to make a crumb crust for cheesecake. It really, really is difficult and with all the HFCS and who knows what else in commercial baked goods, I say it's just as well.

I'm making a cheesecake (in the oven at the moment) and decided that I wanted a chocolate crumb crust so this morning I dusted off my trusty favorite butter cookie recipe and modified it. Worked like a charm! Nice thin little deep chocolate cookie wafers that I put in the food processor! Voila! Crumbs!

It is an excellent butter cookie I got out of an old farmhouse cookbook. The recipe calls for adding 1/2 a pecan to the top before baking but they are a very versatile cookie! I love them plain or at times I add almond extract to the dough, or made them at Christmas and iced them decoratively for the holiday. But they are some of the tastiest little butter cookies just like they are. Here's the original recipe:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour

Cream butter well. Add sugar a little at a time, continuing to cream. Beat the egg to a lemony froth and beat into the butter/sugar mixture. Work the flour in to the mix. (I do that last step with my hands. It's really the best way to get it well incorporated.)

Divide dough in two and roll out on a well floured surface...very thin. Cut out with a 2" round cookie cutter (or whatever kinda cookie cutter you like.) Pick up with a spatula and place on a buttered cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until edges are starting to brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat until all the dough is gone.

The mod I made for the chocolate crumbs was to simply replace 1/3 c. of the flour with 1/3 cup of cocoa. I also "floured" my board with cocoa.

The crisp little cocoa flavored butter cookies are delicious to munch on, too.

Hope this helps someone the next time they can't find chocolate cookie crumbs! :hi:

[The empressof all]

1. Thanks for this...I think it was me kvetching about the choc. wafers

I finally found them and spent 6.99 for a single row of thin dry choc. cookies. What a rip off. I'll be making them next time. Your recipe looks easy and delicious. Thanks for the choc. moderation. I usually use way too much cocoa when I try to figure these things out.

[hippywife]

2. I'm glad this will help.

And I was just winging it with the cocoa. I had no idea if that was the right amount to sub or not. Just thought I'd give it a shot.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we are. :hi:

Edit to add: This is the cheesecake I've got in the oven but with the chocolate crumbs. And even tho I would love the topping, I'm gonna skip it this time 'round.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/Cheesecake.html

[Phentex]

3. I needed this too...

Like the other poster said, I finally found them, needed two packages and they were outrageous. There's a key lime dessert I like to make that needs a light chocolate cookie crust. I don't know why I've never thought to just make my own. Thanks for the recipe!

[hippywife]

4. Well, these don't come out

with a very light chocolate taste. They are pretty dark chocolatey! Maybe you could sub less cocoa and it might still work. Hope so. :hi:

[Phentex]

20. oh I meant light as in texture not color

this isn't a heavy cookie, is it?

thanks

[hippywife]

21. It's a very thin cookie

if you roll it out thin enough. It doesn't rise or spread in the oven. Make sure to process them fine enough and maybe cut the melted butter to pack them in the pan down to maybe 1 TBS. instead of 2. Definitely put a cookie sheet under the cheesecake when in the oven. I ended up with quite a bit of butter leakage!

My crust turned out good but not as delicate as I would have liked because I didn't process them fine enough.

Good luck!

[hippywife]

5. Oh, BTW!

It really only takes about half of this recipe to make enough crumbs for a 9" springform. Can probably just freeze the rest of the cookies or crumbs for another use or just munch on them like we are.

[housewolf]

6. What a nice tip, thank you!

I usually grind up a few Oreo cookies and then add a little butter (and omit the sugar from my recipe). I always wish I could scrape off the white filling but never make the effort to do it. I used to be able to buy Nabisco Chocolate Cookie Crumbs for pie crusts at the store, but they seem to have taken them off the market about 5 or 6 years ago.

[hippywife]

7. I do remember those.

Wonder why they don't sell them anymore.

I did end up with a melted butter slick on the pan under my springform. Prolly because there is so much butter in the cookies to begin with and then you have to add melted butter to hold the crust together. It should still taste fine, tho.

We'll see tomorrow!

[hippywife]

8. The cheesecake.

After patiently waiting for it to properly chill, here it is!



Now to add some fresh strawberries and taste this thing!

[NMDemDist2]

9. OMG

:wow:

I have never tried to make a cheese cake

you may have inspired me here

[hippywife]

10. Do it! Do it!

It's really easy! And so freakin' delicious!

[NMDemDist2]

11. i did the shopping today

but next week, I'll pick up the stuff

easy huh??

:crazy:

[The empressof all]

12. It's really, really easy

You can make all kinds of cool flavors and even lower fat-sugar free versions which aren't too bad at all.

[NMDemDist2]

14. 'lower fat sugar free'

*sigh*

but that is the direction to head.

:hide:

[hippywife]

15. Yes, it super easy!

People just think they're difficult. Just follow the recipe I posted upthread and you're good to go. I've used other recipes for pumpkin or chocolate cheesecakes. I even made a soy cheesecake once. Husband liked it but I didn't really care for it much.

[housewolf]

17. I had a little cheesecake business a while back...

Happy to share some tips if you'd like some.

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

19. but of course my dear

you are the Baking Diva in my book

:loveya:

[hippywife]

13. I do think

I didn't process the crumbs finely enough and should have used fewer and cut back on the butter the recipe called for to bind them together in the pan since I used a buttery cookie but, all in all, it is pretty delicious.

[japple]

16. There are chocolate graham crackers (Nabisco) too, though

they come and go. In the 1960's my mother used to buy them and I loved them, but then they stopped making them until just recently. I noticed some last time I bought graham crackers. Probably have HFCS in them now, though.

[hippywife]

18. No doubt about

the HFCS. It's gonna be there. I love cinnamon grahams and usually end up eating a whole sleeve in a single sitting because they are so addicting! They have HFCS so it's a treat I only allow myself occassionally.

As for the cheesecakes and other sweets I make, I eat only tiny amounts of them. I really only do them for the DH and for the fun of it.