Cranberry Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Dare I say that this cheesecake is better than the Cheesecake Factory. I brought this to thanksgiving dinner and everyone raved over it, saying it was just like a New York cheesecake and better than anything at Cheesecake Factory. This is a must make dessert if you are trying to impress a crowd! *adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Add all of your Graham crackers to a food processor. Next add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Process until you achieve a fine crumb.

Step 2

Next add granulated sugar, egg yolk, and melted butter. Process until all grahams crackers are wet.

Step 3

Press into the bottom of your cheesecake pan and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Step 5

Place rinsed fresh cranberries over medium-low heat. Add sugar and water. Simmer until cranberries are popped and they start to thicken up. Strain through a mesh sieve if desired to remove skins and seeds.

Step 6

Start by wrapping the bottom of your cheesecake pan in foil once the crust has cooled. This will protect your cheesecake as it bakes in a water bath.

Step 7

Add the cream cheese to an electric mixer and whip for 3-4 minutes until cream cheese is soft and creamy. Add the sour cream, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined and almost no lumps remain. Be careful not to overmix and create bubbles or you will get cracks in your baked cheesecake.

Step 8

Spread half the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust. Dollop the cranberry filling over the cheesecake. Use a knife to swirl the cranberries into the cheesecake. Next, place the other half of the cheesecake over the cranberries and spread to cover the cranberry sauce.

Step 9

Place in a roasting dish or tin foil 9 by 13 pan. Put the cheesecake in the oven and add boiling water to the roasting dish, halfway up the cheesecake pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 until your cheesecake is still wobbly but not raw. You don’t want to let your cheesecake brown at all on the top.

Step 10

Start by whipping the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Step 11

Melt the white chocolate by placing in a microwave safe bowl and heating at 15 second intervals and stirring really well in between until chocolate is fully melted. Next, whip cream cheese. Once whipped, add the white chocolate and mix together. Fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate and cream cheese being careful to not deflate the whipped cream.

Step 12

Spread over the cooled cheesecake.

Step 13

Whip the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean seeds together until stiff peaks form.

Step 14

Spread over the cheesecake mousse

Step 15

Refrigerate for four hours or overnight