Holiday Bliss Cheesecake

Every time I make a new cheesecake, I get so excited to see what it will turn out to be. I am a very self-conscious baker. I never know if it is actually going to turn out, and am very scared that it won't. But thankfully, it has almost always turned out.

Since our sister company is having their thanksgiving potluck today, I had to make a cheesecake. I mean when the CEO, CFO, GM and all other acronyms of the company ask you if you are bringing one. You bring one!

But I didn't want to do a pumpkin one, because 4 people were already bringing pumpkin pies; and I didn't want to repeat my Caramel Machiatto Cheesecake from last year.

So I decided to make a new one. One that would cross off one of my Holiday Bucket list items, make a recipe using cranberries.

May I present the Holiday Bliss Cheesecake!

  

Ok you should think of this as a cranberry bliss bar on crack, with a little bit of bourbon cooked in. Here you have a White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Bourbon Cranberry Compote.

Sounds almost too difficult to make huh? Well it was actually pretty simple!

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Holiday Bliss Cheesecake

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Cool time: 1-2 hours

Here is your ingredient list:

Crust

·      1 1/3 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

·      3 tsp. Sugar

·      1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:

·      1 cup Sugar

·      4 (8oz) packages of Cream Cheese (softened) 

·      3 Eggs

·      3 tsp. vanilla

·      1/3 cup whipping cream

·      1 cup of whipping cream (yes both are separate)

·      1 cup of White Chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

Topping: (adapted from Real Simples Bourbon Cranberry Compote) 

·      1 Bag (12oz) Cranberries 

·      1 Cup Sugar 

·      1/2 Cup of apple juice

·      1/4 cup of Bourbon

** I made 2 Servings of Cranberries by doubling the recipe for more topping to cover the cake.

Pre- Step:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, you should one rack placed at the bottom and one placed in the middle.

Making the Crust: 

Mix Melted butter, graham cracker, and sugar in a melted bowl. Spray the bottom of your Spring Form pan ONLY with a nonstick spray/ olive oil. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan, and put it in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Take out and put the pan on a cooling rack.

Filling:

You are going to want to start with your white chocolate, since it does take a little bit of time to melt it. Put about one quart of water (half) into a 2 quart sauce pan and place it on the stove on low heat. You are going to take a mixing bowl or even a cereal bowl and place it over top like a lid. The edge of the bowl should not be smaller than the pan. Put in your 1/3 cup of whipping cream and 1 cup of white chocolate. Remember to stir occasionally so that the chocolate will melt evenly. Once it is melted turn off your burner and move the bowl to let it cool.

Take your 4 packets of Cream cheese and beat it until it has a creamy texture. Slowly start mixing in the sugar. At that point it should have a fluffy texture/ look to it. Start adding in your 3 eggs one at a time, letting them mix into the batter; then add in your vanilla. 

At this point you should have melted white chocolate, if not wait until it is melted and let it cool for roughly 5 minutes.

Once your chocolate is ready, pour it into your batter and let it mix into the batter. Last but not least, mix in your remaining cup of whipping cream and pour the batter into your spring form pan.

Place a 9x13 pan of hot water on the bottom rack of your oven. Put your spring form pan on the middle, and I recommend putting the spring form pan on top of a cookie sheet while baking. Let it bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is still slightly jiggly but still firm (no liquid moving).

Once done, turn off the oven and open the door slightly for an hour. After that, you are going to place the cheesecake on a cooling rack to bring down to room temp; this takes another hour. Then cover and put into the fridge until serving. This should set for at least 4-5 hours in the fridge.

Topping: 

Take cranberries, sugar, apple juice, and bourbon and put them into a 2-quart saucepan (or larger if you are doubling) on medium heat. You are going to let them simmer, while stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and most of the liquids have caramelized (thickened).  Let it cool, and at that point you can either top your cheesecake or transfer it to a dish to top at a later time. Place the topping in the fridge either way until serving.

For a PDF Version of this recipe go Here! 

Have you tried making something with cranberries before?