Slow-cooker cheesecake calls for candy component

While I was taking a nap one day last week, my slow cooker baked a cheesecake. It was a good one, too: nice, light texture, a chocolately crust and the sweet-salty flavors of the Snickers bar that was layered on the bottom.

Bonus: I got to tell people I made it in my Crock-Pot, and they looked at me like I had a magic wand.

If you are like most Crock-Pot users, you make infrequent use of the device to make a huge pot of stew or a soup now and then. But a slow cooker’s low, even heat also produces excellent, delicate desserts in small sizes, like this 8-inch cheesecake from the pages of a new cookbook, "Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes," by Donna Marie Pye (Robert Rose Inc., $24.95).

Think of your slow cooker in connection with baked desserts that use a water bath — bread puddings are also especially well suited. Many recipes, like this one, dispense with the water bath in favor of some slow-cooker magic that creates that same silky-soft texture. This is much easier than dealing with a hot pan full of water in your oven.

This cheesecake makes a cute little festive dessert if you’re looking for something different for the holidays. And if you have Snickers bars left over from Halloween, you’re already partway there.

A few notes: The recipe calls for a 7- or 8-inch springform pan. These are not easy to come by. I borrowed one, only to find it was slightly too big for my crock, so I used a 2-quart casserole dish (see details at the end of the recipe). Also, chocolate wafer cookies are on the ingredient list, ground up to make the crust. Also not easy to come by. You can buy Oreo cookies, scrape off the filling and use those, or do what I did: Buy a ready-made Oreo cookie pie crust and break it up.

Finally, you’re supposed to seal the pan well with foil, using a rubber band. This makes it tricky to check for doneness. Expect to exercise some dexterity within the hot crock, or lift out the pan so you can sneak a peek.

I should also note that my cheesecake was nowhere near as pretty as the one in the picture. The center sank, but in a way that was a good thing. I was able to fill up the middle with chocolate sauce.

SNICKERDOODLE SLOW-COOKER CHEESECAKE

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Snickers candy bars, 2 ounces each, cut into half-inch pieces
>> Crust:
3/4 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs 
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
>> Topping: 
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

To make crust: Combine cookie crumbs with sugar and butter. Press evenly over bottom of a 7- or 8-inch springform pan. Chill while making filling. (If you can’t find wafer cookies, use an Oreo pie crust, found in most supermarkets in the baking aisle. Break it up and press it into the pan. No need to add sugar or butter.)

In large bowl, using an electric mixer or food processor, combine cream cheese and sugar; beat or process until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in cream and vanilla.

Spread 3/4 of candy pieces over crust. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over top. Cover pan with foil, securing with an elastic band. Place pan on rack or steamer basket in slow-cooker stoneware. Do not add water. Cover and cook on high 3 to 3-1/2 hours, until edges are set but center remains slightly jiggly. Remove foil, turn off heat, uncover and let cool at least 1 hour. To make topping: In small saucepan over medium-low, heat cream and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Spread over top of cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.

Gently run a knife around edge of pan and unmold. Garnish with remaining candy pieces. 

Nutritional information unavailable. 

Equipment notes: If you don’t have a springform pan small enough to fit in your slow cooker, use a casserole dish, or any straight-sided heat-proof dish that fits. Line the dish with 2 wide strips of foil, crisscrossing the strips and letting them extend over the sides of the dish. To unmold, loosen the sides, grab the strips of foil and lift. If don’t have a rack that fits, use a coil of foil. You just want to keep the pan from sitting directly on the bottom of the cooker.

Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to  bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.