Chocolate-covered Strawberry Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

Cheesecake:

• 9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (I use animal crackers)
• 15-20 Nilla Wafers
• 1/4 c. margarine (melted)
• 2 (8oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 c. white chocolate chips (melted)
• 1 c. heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. margarine (melted)
• 3 tsp. vanilla

Toppings:

• 1 1/2c. heavy whipping cream (divided)
• 1c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 15-20 medium strawberries
• one bag (12 oz.) Wilton White Candy Melts
• one bag (12 oz) Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
• 1/3c. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Crush cookies into fine crumbs and add melted margarine.  Combine well and press into the bottom of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
.
Gently press Nilla wafers upright along the edges of the crust.
Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one.
Add remaining cheesecake ingredients, beating until smooth.
Pour into crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes.
Turn off oven, open oven door a little and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan.  Remove edge of pan.
Allow cheesecake to come to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

Toppings:
CHOCOLATE:  Put 1/2c. whipping cream into saucepan and heat justuntil bubbling at edges.  Turn heat off, add chocolate chips, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, stir until smooth.
Pour over top of cheesecake and allow this to harden.

STRAWBERRIES: Take the top off each strawberry and wash well.  Allow these to dry completely on paper towel.
Melt both dark and white chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted.
Gently dip strawberries in chocolate (half in dark and half in white).  Use a fork to drain away excess chocolate and set on parchment paper to harden.
Put remaining melted chocolate in ziplock bags.  Clip a corner and drizzle each strawberry with its opposite color.
Allow these to completely harden.
Add powdered sugar to remaining cup of  whipping cream and whip with mixer (you could use Cool Whip to save time on this part).
Spoon whipped cream into a zip-lock bag with a decorative tip added into one corner.
Gently place hardened dipped strawberries on cheesecake.
Pipe whipped cream around edges and between berries.
Keep chilled.  Serve the same day as you place the berries (they will eventually get “soggy”  if they sit too long.
ENJOY!!!

(http://easybaked.net/)