To get an idea of life member Ann Marie Otis’ passion, look no further than her nickname, “the cake lady.” “I started creating cheesecakes about seven years ago,” she says. “It turned into a small business that I ran out of my house.” After making hundreds of cheesecakes, what has she learned? “I finally decided that the cracks on top of the cake add character,” she says.

CRUST
31 creme-filled chocolate cookies, crushed
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

FILLING
3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped brownies

TOPPING
8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 oz. white chocolate, melted

1. Heat oven to 325ºF. In medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Wrap pan with heavy-duty foil; freeze 30 minutes.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium speed until blended. Beat in sour cream and 1 cup cream. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. Slowly beat in flour. Fold in brownies.

3. Place springform pan in large baking or broiler pan. Pour batter into crust (batter will come to within 1/4 inch of top edge). Add enough hot tap water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until edges are puffed and top is dry to the touch. Center should move slightly when pan is tapped but should not ripple as if liquid.

4. Remove springform pan from baking pan; remove foil. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Melt milk chocolate and 1/3 cup cream in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour over top of cheesecake; let stand 10 minutes.

6. Pour white chocolate into small resealable plastic bag; snip off corner of bag. Drizzle chocolate over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

12 servings

PER SERVING: 780 calories, 54.5 g total fat (29.5 g saturated fat), 12 g protein, 64 g carbohydrate, 205 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber