Sweet Cheesecake Recipes
Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake
Yield: 15 servings
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/3 cups crumbs from chocolate wafer cookies, such as Nabisco Famous Wafers (about 28 cookies)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Filling
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Glaze
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.
- In a bowl combine the crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press the mixture across the bottom and part way up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, water and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced to about one cup. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it's smooth, about one minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat another minute, until the mixture is well-combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the sour cream, cornstarch and half the cranberry mixture, mixing well. Pour into the prepared pan and dot the surface with heaping teaspoons of the remaining cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F, and bake until the edges of the batter have risen and begun to brown, about another 40 minutes.
- Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack, run a sharp knife around the pan and release and remove the side. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or more before adding the Glaze.
- Put the cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to a low simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Pour into a bowl and let stand until it is lukewarm but still pourable.
- Unwrap the cheesecake and put it on a rack over wax paper. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cheesecake which has been chilled for 4 hours or more; use a metal spatula to spread it evenly over the top and let it run down the sides.
- Set the cheesecake on a serving plate and refrigerate.
- Let stand at room temperature about an hour before serving.