LEMON-GINGER CHEESECAKE BARS

LEMON-GINGER CHEESECAKE BARS

30 ginger snaps, finely crushed

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Neufchatel Cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

Grated peel and juice from 1 medium lemon

2 eggs

2/3 cup apricot preserves

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle cookie crumbs evenly onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside.
• Beat Neufchatel cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
• Add lemon peel and juice; mix well.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition.
• Pour over crumbs in pan.
  
• Bake 25 minutes or until center is almost set; cool completely.
• Spread preserves evenly over cheesecake.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled.
• Cut into 24 bars to serve.
• Store leftover bars in refrigerator.
  
• For best results, chop any large pieces of fruit in the preserves before spreading over cheesecake.

Blue Ribbon Creamy Cheesecake

Blue Ribbon Creamy Cheesecake
Ingredients:
12 to 14 graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup sour cream

• Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, mixing well. Press into pie pan to form crust.
• Combine cream cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and lemon juice in bowl, mixing well.
• Pour into prepared crust.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool for 10 minutes.
• Mix sour cream, 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in bowl.
• Spread evenly over top.
• Bake for 10 minutes longer.
• Chill for 5 hours.

All Mine Cheesecake Bites

All Mine Cheesecake Bites

12 chocolate sandwich cookies cookies, tops separated from bottoms
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening

• Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs together until smooth
• Place a cookie with frosting side up in the bottom of a lined muffin cup.
• Top with cream cheese mixture.
• Top that with crushed cookie tops.
• Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool.
• Melt shortening and chocolate chips until smooth.
• Drizzle over cooled cheesecakes.

CHOCOLATE MARBLE CHEESECAKE

CHOCOLATE MARBLE CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1 3/4 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely ground walnuts
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Filling:
2 pounds cream cheese (four 8-oz packages)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
2 cups half and half
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

• Preheat oven to 450 °F (230 °C).
• Combine crust ingredients and blend.
  
• Grease sides of 9" - 10" spring-form pan.
  
• Press crumbs on bottom and up sides of pan to top.
  
• Reserve about three tablespoons of crumbs for topping.
  
• Beat cream cheese and vanilla together until fluffy.
  
• Gradually beat in sugar.
• Add eggs one at a time stirring until just blended.
• Stir in half and half.
• Gradually stir 3 cups of batter into cooled melted chocolate and blend.
• Pour plain batter into prepared pan.
• Gradually add chocolate mixture using zigzag motion.
• Batter will be very loose.
• Top with reserved crumbs.
• Bake 15 minutes to set batter.
• Reduce heat to 300 °F (150 °C) and bake 70 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven.
• Cool on rack one hour.
• Chill.
• Can be frozen.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted

filling:
8 ounces white chocolate
1 pound cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla

topping:
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish:
Chocolate curls
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

• In bowl, combine wafer crumbs with butter; press into 9-inch spring-form pan.
• In top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, melt white chocolate; let cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until light.
• Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
• Beat in white chocolate, sour cream, orange rind and vanilla.
• Pour over crust; bake in 350F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until just set.
• Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over hot cake and return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until set.
• Immediately run knife around edge of cake to loosen.
• Let cool completely.
• Mound chocolate curls over cake; dust lightly with confectioners sugar.
• Chill. Serves 12

RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers (about 14 crackers)
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 8-ounce container plain yogurt or raspberry yogurt
1 8-ounce container raspberry yogurt
Fresh raspberries and/or blackberries
Sifted powdered sugar (optional)

• For crust, combine crushed crackers, almonds, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour, and the margarine or butter.
• Press onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan.
• Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the remaining granulated sugar, remaining flour, the cream cheese, liqueur, and vanilla.
• Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• Add eggs and yogurt, beating on low speed just until combined.
• Do not over-beat.
• Pour into pan.
• Place spring-form pan in a shallow baking pan in oven.
• Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.
• Cool 15 minutes.
• Loosen cake from side of pan.
• Cool 30 minutes.
• Remove side of pan; cool for 1 hour.
• Chill at least 4 hours.
• To serve, arrange berries atop cake.
• Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
• Makes 12 servings.

APPLE CARDAMOM CHEESECAKE

APPLE CARDAMOM CHEESECAKE
Makes 12 servings.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup butter, melted

glazed apples:
4 (about 2 pounds) medium cooking apples, peeled and cored
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

cheese filling:
2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 eggs

• Crust: Mix all ingredients.
• Press firmly on bottom and 1 inch up the sides of 9-inch springform pan.
• Set aside.
• Glazed Apples: Cut apples into 16ths.
• In large skillet, combine apples with remaining ingredients.
• Cook until apples begin to caramelize, turning often.
• Arrange over bottom of crust.
• Cheese Filling: Beat cream cheese until fluffy.
• Gradually beat in sugar, vanilla, and lemon peel.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over apples.
  Bake in preheated 325°F oven 60-70 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Turn oven off and allow cheesecake to remain in oven 1 hour with door slightly ajar.
• Cool in pan.
• Chill.