Healthy Delicious Recipes

A Classic Cheesecake You Will Want to Come Back to

Have you ever tried a really good classic cheesecake, the kind that makes you want to sit by a big beautiful window and and compliment the scenic view with a delicious beverage to top off? When a dessert is that good, it makes me want to slow down and taste the richness in each bite, texture and flavor.

I have a confession, I don’t think I have ever tried a store bought cheese cake so good that it stopped me in my tracks. They are either too heavy, too sweet, or not significant enough for me to remember or want more of. From my personal experience, store bought classic cheesecakes are just okay. If you also have felt that way, starting from today, that will change.

Homemade classic cheesecake is worth boasting on a completely different level. Sure the texture is going to be rich and should be indulged in moderation, but at least I know I am putting the best quality dairy and all organic ingredients, and that feels so good!

Now I don’t see too many people talking about making homemade cheesecake and that is totally understandable, but if you plan ahead and set some time to make it, you will really enjoy what might be the best cheesecake you’ve ever tasted!

Is classic cheesecake hard to make? No. Is it intimidating to make? Not with my recipe. The hardest part to making a classic cheesecake is WAITING. That’s right, waiting is the hardest part! It’s the one dessert that isn’t recommended to be indulged warm, and that part feels like such a tease!

There is one thing worth mentioning about how I make my graham cracker crusts for any of my pies. With every traditional graham cracker crust, you will notice that the recipes call for sugar in addition to the sugar you will have to put for the cheesecake filling.

I don’t add any sugar to my crust, here’s why. If you look at the nutrition facts of graham crackers, you will see that it is approximately 8 grams of sugar for 2 crackers. I am using Annie’s Honey Grahams. For this cheesecake recipe, we will be using 16 graham crackers to make the crust. That’s 64 grams of sugar for the entire cheesecake crust! The LAST thing I need to add to any graham cracker crust is more sugar!

If cheesecake rich, heavy, filling? Yes. Can we make it still be amazing without extra sugar? Absolutely! If you’re using recipes from cookingwithrips.com you can expect less sugar desserts that will not compromise taste!

Classic Cheesecake, or most cheesecakes, need to cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours after baking, and then placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours (I know, I know). So just plan on eating it either way later in the day, or the next day. Don’t let this part discourage you because that part is inactive baking which means you are not doing anything aside from waiting for the cheesecake to get to the perfect hardness.

The active part of making a delicious classic cheesecake is easy and requires just a couple of kitchen gadgets such as a food processor/blender, a 9 inch stainless steel springform pan, and a hand mixer/stand mixer which you may already have. If you’re on the market for kitchen gadgets for baking/cooking here are some of the types I recommend:

• Hand Mixers –-This one is a good deal for a tight budget or this one if you want to splurge on a high quality motor hand mixer
• For a stand mixer, I recommend this one
• For a food processor, I recommend this one
• 9 inch Stainless Steel Springform pan

Hopefully by now I have helped you feel empowered about making cheesecake if you’ve had the desire cross your mind. Now let me tell you why this classic cheesecake is going to be a keeper. I like to add a twist in flavor as an option with most of my baking and cooking, With this classic cheesecake, one unexpected twist on flavor will be orange. Should you feel you want to, we will be adding some orange zest to the cheesecake. This flavor will be subtle, but adds a nice aftertaste to the pallet, and beautifully blends the flavors of the creamy cheesecake and the graham cracker crust.

Can your freeze homemade classic cheesecake? Yes! Make sure to let the cheesecake come to room temperature completely (about 3 hours) and then you can either save a portion of it, or the whole cheesecake. To thaw the cheesecake, take it out of the freezer about 2 hours before serving. If you see it thawing too much and you’re not yet ready to serve the cheesecake, feel free to put it in the refrigerator until just before you serve. Do not refreeze the cheescake after thawing.

Prep Time: 30 minutes	Bake Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Serves: 10-12	Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes + 6 hours to cool and set

Ingredients Crust 16 Graham crackers *finely ground about 2 cups ground (I used Annie’s Honey Grahams) 6 tbsp butter (melted) Filling *All dairy used is full-fat and at room temperature* 3 – 8 oz. Cream cheese blocks 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup sour cream 3 eggs *room temperature 1 cup sugar * I used organic sugar 1 tsp orange zest (the zest of one orange)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F *You will need to lower this temperature for the filling later
2. Place the graham crackers in the blender and blend until finely ground (You might need to use a tamper)
3. Melt the butter and add it to the ground graham crackers in a large bowl. Mix until texture resembles wet sand.
4. Grease a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter, place graham cracker mixture onto the pan and flatten with either a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated.
5. Place the flattened crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove crust after 10 minutes and bring the oven temperature down to 325F
7. In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese and mix until the cream cheese looks smooth.
8. Add the sugar and one egg and mix until well combined.
9. Add the second egg, mix, add the third egg, mix.
10. Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and orange zest and mix again until well combined.
11. Our the filling mixture onto the cooled and baked crust and gently flatten out the top.
12. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. When done, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature for about 2 hours. (DO NOT try to remove the cheesecake from the pan at this time)
13. Transfer the cooled cheesecake to the refrigerator and let it set for 3-4 hours *See notes above if freezing
14. When taking the cheesecake out of the pan, wet a thin knife and slowly glide the knife through the edges of the pan before unlatching the springform pan. Then unlatch, remove the top part of the pan, and enjoy!

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