Orange Cheesecake with Cranberry Topping
Source: Appleton Post Crescent
Perfect for Christmas
You can also substitute a standard grahams cracker crust
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Crust
- 1 pkg. (9 oz.) chocolate wafer cookies
- 2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 5 Tbls. butter
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1-1/2 c. graham crackers crumbs
- 1/3 c. butter, melted
- 1/4 c. white sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1-1/2 c. white sugar
- 3 Tbls. unbleached white flour
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 t. grated orange peel
- 1 t. vanilla
Cranberry Topping
- 1/2 c. white sugar
- 3 Tbls. water
- 1 Tbls. cornstarch dissolved in 1Tbls. water
- 2 c. fresh cranberries
- 1/2 t. grated orange peel
Instructions
Chocolate Cookie Crust: Process cookies and chocolate in food processor, until they have been chopped fine. Add butter; process until mixture clumps together. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1-inch up sides of and 9 or 10-inch spring-form pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove, cool completely.
When cool, wrap 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil around bottom and sides of your spring form pan; press tightly to pan. Set spring form pan inside a large roasting pan. Prepare filling.
Graham Cracker Crust:. Use store bought graham cracker crumbs or process whole graham crackers in a food processor until they have been finely chopped. Melt butter or margarine on stove top or microwave. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and sugar until mixture is moist. Press onto bottom and up the side of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Refrigerate while making the filling. .
Filling: In a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in flour, then eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Beat in orange peel and vanilla. Pour filling into baked crust.
Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come up half way on sides of spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until center is set, but still moves slightly.
Carefully remove spring form pan from roasting pan, remove foil and place baked cheesecake on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap or foil, at least overnight.
When ready to serve, remove sides of pan and cut.
Cranberry Topping: Mix sugar and water together in small saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves; stir in cornstarch mixture. Return to simmer. Add cranberries and cook until most of the berries have popped open. Stir in orange peel. Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Top each slice of cheesecake with a little cranberry topping and enjoy.