Chocolate Cheesecake with Shortbread Cookie base

Let this elegant chocolate cheesecake be the centerpiece of your holiday tablescape featuring a gorgeous white chocolate snowflake in the center.

1½ cups dark chocolate and almond shortbread cookies, crushed (about 18 cookies)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 (4 oz) semisweet chocolate baking bars, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
4 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Garnish:
fresh raspberries or white chocolate design

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Combine crushed cookies and butter. Press mixture on bottom of a 9” spring form pan.

Microwave chocolate and cream at high 1½ minutes or until melted, stirring at 30 second intervals.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, beating just until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Add chocolate mixture, beating just until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or just until center is set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8-24 hours.

Remove sides of pan, and place cheesecake on a serving plate. Slowly pour warm Ganache Topping over cheesecake, spreading to edges.

Chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish, if desired.