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Cheesecake Heaven


A few tips....
Making a perfect cheesecake requires  a few things.  First, luck!
Keep your cream cheese and your eggs at room temperature.
Whip your cream cheese and your sugar up well before you add your eggs.  If you whip up your eggs too much you get too much air in the cake and it will rise up a lot during baking, then sink when cooling which will cause unsightly cracks.  Keep your eyes on the oven and check frequently to make sure that it doesn't brown at all.  Shake the pan gently and shut the oven off when it no longer jiggles in the center.  Let cool in the oven with door slightly ajar for a couple of hours, then refrigerate over night.
I have experimented alot with many different recipes and procedures until I feel I have mastered the most luscious of desserts.

The Best Cheesecake
Crust
1 3/4 cup crushed shortbread cookies(Lorna Doone)
1 stick of butter melted
2 TBS of sugar

Blend well.  Press mixture into bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch spring form pan.  Chill in freezer
while preparing the filling.

Filling
2 pounds of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBS of cornstarch
1 cup of sour cream

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar, and continue beating until you have a smooth texture.  Beat in eggs, vanilla and cornstarch, just until blended.  Stir in sour cream.  Pour mixture into prepared crust.  Bake at 200 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Turn off oven and allow to cool with door slightly open, for 3 hours.  Remove sides from pan; refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  Serve with strawberry or cherry topping or plain is good also.


 

              White Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 chocolate cookie crumbs--crushed
3 tbs butter--melted
Mix crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Filling
24 ounces cream cheese--softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 pound white chocolate--melted

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the white chocolate.  Pour over crust.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool in oven for at least 1 hour.  Loosen cake from rim of pan and continue cooling.  Refrigerate over night.  Garnish with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs and whipped cream.


 

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Press crumb mixture evenly on bottom and 1 inch up on sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.

Filling
1 14-ounce pkg of caramels
1 5-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup pecans--chopped
16 ounces cream cheese--softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate--melted

Combine caramels and milk in a heavy saucepan.  Cook over low heat until melted, stirring often.  Pour over graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle pecans evenly over caramel layer and set aside.  Beat cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add sugar, mixing well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate. beat until well blended.  Pour over pecan layer.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan to release sides.  Let cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill 8 hours.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust
2 cups of chocolate wafer crumbs
5 TBS melted butter

Filling
3   8-ounce  packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2  ounces (2 squares) semisweet chocolate, melted

Frosting
6  ounces (6 squares) semisweet chocolate, melted
1/2  cup sour cream

To prepare crust, mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter.  Press into a 9-inch spring form pan.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
To prepare filling, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and continue beating until smooth.  On medium to low speed, gradually add eggs.  Spoon half of the filling into the crust.  Stir 2 semisweet melted chocolate squares into the remaining mixture.  Drizzle chocolate filling over batter in pan to make swirls.  Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  After cool; transfer cake to a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours.  Uncover cheesecake; carefully remove sides of pan.  To prepare frosting, mix together, melted 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate with sour cream.  Chill briefly until frosting is set.


Peanut butter Cup Cheesecake
Crust
2  cups of chocolate cookie crumbs
4 TBS of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together and press into bottom and 2/3 of the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.  Set aside.

Filling
4   8- ounce packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1  cup of sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 TBS flour
1/3  cup of milk
1  1/2 tsp of vanilla
6 packages(2-cup) of peanut butter cups chopped
1  cup of heavy cream, whipped

Beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until light and smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time on low.  Beat in flour,milk, and vanilla.  Sprinkle chopped up peanut butter cups onto bottom of chocolate cookie crust.  Carefully, pour cheesecake mixture  over all.  Bake 10 minutes and reduce temperature to 250  degrees.   Bake 40-50 minutes or until just set in center.  Let cool at room temperature and refrigerate for several hours.  Before serving, garnish with fresh whipped topping and sprinkle with 2 more chopped peanut butter cups.



 





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