When Matt and I started dating, we started to come up with our own inside jokes. I think every couple has probably done that. One of them was changing the phrase "Pretty please with a cherry on top", to "Pretty please with a chocolate covered strawberry on top".

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Why?

Neither one of us likes cherries. I like cherry flavor, but I don't really eat cherries, and neither does he. So we found out we both LOVE chocolate covered strawberries, and then, our own new phrase was born.

I know, super cheesy and mushy right?

Speaking of cheesy...

How about some cheesecake? And chocolate covered strawberries?

(How's that for a segway?)

Let's put it together!

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How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

First, we want to make some strawberry sauce to flavor the cheesecake.

I use frozen strawberries, and you will put them in a saucepan with sugar and water, and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, which will thicken the sauce a little bit. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the sauce so it is smooth. Put it aside to cool.

Next, we will prepare the chocolate cookie crust.

Crush the Oreos (or similar chocolate cookie) and combine with melted butter. Put it in the pan, and press the crust LIGHTLY into the bottom and up the sides a little bit.

Now, we will make the cheesecake batter.

Start by mixing the room temperature cream cheese and sugar together until it is very smooth. You don't want to have ANY lumps. Stop mixing after a little bit to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

At a low speed, add the room temperature eggs one at a time, then add the yolk last. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then slowly add the heavy cream.

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Add in the cooled off strawberry puree and the flour. The flour will help stabilize the cheesecake, since we are adding more liquid than normal.

Pour the batter into the pan, and put it in a water bath. The water bath will help the cheesecake SET, not necessarily bake. It helps the process go slow, which is necessary for that great cheesecake texture!

It is going to go in the over for about an hour and a half. You can check if it is done by giving it a little shake, and if there are no ripples in the batter, it is done.

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Let the strawberry cheesecake cool completely, and then we can add the chocolate topping.

Take the cheesecake out of the pan.

Heat up the heavy cream, and pour over the chocolate. Stir until it is smooth, and let it cool slightly.

Pour the chocolate on top of the strawberry cheesecake, and let some drip down the side.

And that's it! Slice it up, add some strawberries to the top of the cheesecake if you want, or chocolate covered strawberries, and enjoy!

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