With December always being such a busy month involving holiday plans, I’ve been slacking on putting up some blog posts.  Luckily I’ve been able to return home for Christmas which means a lot of amazing home cooked meals from my mom! :)  We recently had family over and my mom decided to bake some dessert, opting out to make some Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake from a recipe she found in Canadian Living magazine.  She definitely is an all-star baker and can do no wrong in the kitchen, and boy was this a home run!   So much so, that I had to take some impromptu photos so that I could share this recipe on my blog.  The tartness from the cranberry sauce perfectly complimented the sweetness of the cheesecake and the crispiness of the gingersnap crust.  The cheesecake texture was dense yet super creamy at the same time like a New York Cheesecake.  It was so good that I might have had a slice for breakfast the next day. :)

This recipe does take a bit more effort in planning ahead of time, as you have to chill the cheesecake in the fridge after baking for 4 to 6 hours, but definitely worth the wait!

Recipe (9 inch cheesecake)

White Cheesecake:
100g good-quality white chocolate finely chopped
3 pkg (250g each) of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tsk cornstarch
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Gingersnap Crust:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp packed brown sugar

Cranberry Topping:
3 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

PREHEAT: oven to 350.

GINGERSNAP CRUST: green pan, line bottom with parchment paper.  Stir together cookie crumsb, butter and sugar until combined in separate bowl.  Press into prepared pan to come 1/4 inch up side.

BAKE CRUST: at 350 oven for 10 to 12 minutes, let cook in pan on rack.

PREHEAT: oven to 250.

MELT CHOCOALTE: in bowl over saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.  Let cool to lukewarm.

CREAM: together cream cheese until smooth, then beat in sour cream.  Add in sugar and cornstarch until fluffy, scraping down the sides.  Then add in eggs 1 at a time and beat until just combined.  Add in vanilla and melted chocolate beat together then pour over crust, smoothing and leveling top.

BAKE: in oven for about 1 hour (until shine disappears and edge is set yet centre still jiggles slightly).  Turn oven off and leave in oven for 1 hour.  Then refrigerate until chilled – 4 to 6 hours.

CRANBERRY SAUCE: first stir together cranberries, sugar, cranberry juice, orange zest and cinnamon stick in a saucepan.  Bring it to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened and cranberries are broken down – about 15 minutes.

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