Oreo No Bake Cheesecake

The song "Isn't she lovely?" is playing in my head while I look at this photo. It was a magnificent combination of chocolate and pudding and swirly oreo goodness. I really liked what Melanie at Mel's Kitchen Cafe had to say about breaking it down into simple steps. Totally true! It is not, I repeat, NOT overwhelming when you take it one piece at a time. Plan ahead. You can do this. Not only will your guests be wowed but your husband might mention something about you being the best wife ever in between mouthfuls. I'm just saying . . .

from here down is a direct copy/paste from Melanie's post.
See I'm giving credit where credit is due!

*Note: this recipe has several steps but the good news is that they can be done in stages. The crust can be made up to 2 days in advance, as well as the cheesecake filling. The entire cheesecake can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

*Serves 12

Cookie Crust:
30 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces
7 tablespoons butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
2 pounds (4 bars) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces

For the cookie crust, place the cookies and the butter in a food processor and process until finely ground (alternately, you could use an electric mixer to combine the butter and cookies). Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until the crust has hardened and is set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

For the cheesecake filling, heat 3/4 cup of the whole milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the milk comes to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, flour and remaining 1/4 cup milk in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick and glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the white chocolate until it is completely melted.

Transfer the pudding to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate the pudding until it is cold and set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

After the pudding has chilled, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and mix in the chilled pudding just until it is combined, about 30 seconds. Pour 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chilled crust. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cookies over the surface. Again, pour 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the crust and sprinkle the remaining cookies over the top. Top with the remaining filling and smooth the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve. The cheesecake can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s country June/July 2008