A thick and creamy New York style cheesecake with a buttery chocolate cookie crust and studded with miniature chocolate chips.

I lived in Durham, NC until I was 8 and let me tell you, I think the highlight of my first 8 years of life might have been Elmo’s Diner. Elmo’s is a quirky little diner off of 9th Street, just down the road from the Duke University Campus. It was quaint and cozy and we went for just about every occasion. Brunch with my aunts and uncles? We were at Elmo’s. Dinner with my grandparents, obviously Elmo’s. I even had a birthday party there I loved it so much. And rightfully so, because according to my memory, everything at Elmo’s was perfect and delicious. (Also, you could color pictures of ducks and they’d hang them on the wall, which made me feel a bit like a celebrity.)

Elmo’s had a lot going for it. They had little cups of the best tomato basil soup my 8 year old self had ever had. They had really great cheeseburgers, omelettes, pancakes—you know, all the best diner food. But the chocolate chip cheesecake was the star. My cousin Joey and I were a little bit obsessed with Elmo’s chocolate chip cheesecake. We shared a slice every time we went and even now, 20 years later, we still catch ourselves dreaming of the Elmo’s chocolate chip cheesecake.

Looking back, I don’t know that it was anything fancy. I remember it was tall and thick, definitely a NY style cheesecake, with a graham cracker crust and miniature chocolate chips suspended inside. There were no fancy garnishes or sauces, and it was definitely a diner-style cheesecake. But as a kid, it was perfect. Even now, I can close my eyes and picture myself back in that diner, all of my family shoved around a big table. The adults are drinking coffee and chatting and Joey and I are down at the end of the table, mixing all the remaining dips and sauces and seasonings in the bottom of a sticky plastic cup (you know, like 8 year olds in the 90s did), waiting for our perfect slice of chocolate chip cheesecake. It’s cool how food imprints itself in your memories that way.

a really great chocolate chip cheesecake

Let’s talk cheesecake. There is a whole world of cheesecakes out there—ricotta, basque, Japanese, the kind you get at cheesecake factory…the list goes on. Because cheesecake can be pretty heavy, my go-to recipe is usually a creamy, cheesecake base lightened up by incorporating whipped egg whites. Not so, for this recipe. From my memory, the Elmo’s cheesecake was tall and dense, so that’s what we’re doing here. This is not a cheesecake for the faint of heart.

Traditionally, New York style cheesecakes are thick and hefty, incorporating lots of cream cheese and then usually sour cream and/or heavy cream to help smooth things out a bit. For this recipe, we’re using a full 2 pounds of cream cheese plus sour cream AND heavy cream for an extra smooth, tangy bite.

If you notice, the recipe incorporates a bit of flour to help bind everything together and stiffen the cheesecake slightly. Because we’re using the flour for it’s starch and not it’s gluten, you should be able to easily substitute a gluten-free flour blend in it’s place. (I have not tested this, but the science says it should work fine). You can also use cornstarch or just leave the flour out for a still very delicious, yet slightly less hefty slice of cheesecake.

For the crust, all of my fancy ideas went straight out the window. This is a classic. I went with Annie’s chocolate Teddy Grahams, which were an excellent choice, but you can choose any cookie your heart desires. A traditional graham cracker crust would be great, as would Oreos. Get wild with it.