The Ardent Epicure

 Here is a recipe for a decadent chocolate chip cheesecake.  Try it for a special occasion, or when you feel like a really special treat!

Ingredients
  Crust:  1 cup (5 oz.) Chocolate cookie crumbs
               2 Tbsp. Salted butter, softened

  Filling: 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
                1 cup white sugar
                2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
                3 large eggs
                1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
                1 ½ cups (9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
To prepare crust: Grind cookies into fine crumbs using a blender or a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Add butter and blend until smooth.  Press crust into bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan, and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

To prepare the filling:  Beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl using an electric mixer.  Blend in sugar and sour cream.  Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.  Pour filling into the crust-lined pan, and smooth top with a spatula.  Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips evenly over the top.  Bake 30-40 minutes.  Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour to set.  Remove from oven and chill in refrigerator until firm, about 3-4 hours.

 Yield:  12-16 servings