Spiced Apple Cheesecake

Spiced Apple Cheesecake

Makes 1 6 inch cheesecake

Takes about 12 hours

-what you need-

Apple Topping

• 2 small honey crisp apples, skinned and chopped
• 1 Tbs good maple syrup
• 2 Tbs dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of allspice
• Pinch of salt

Gingersnap Crust

• 14 Gingersnap cookies, Sweetzels brand
• 3 Tbs melted butter

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

• 2 (8 oz) packs Philadelphia cream cheese (room temp)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs (room temp)
• 1 Tbs vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (room temp)

-what to do-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and cover the outside of your cheesecake pan with a few sheets of foil.
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add in all the apple topping ingredients and cook until sauce thickens, about 20-25 minutes
3. When apple topping mixture is done, set aside to cool and make your crust.
4. In a food processor, add in your gingersnaps and pulse until fine crumbs. Next add your melted butter and pulse until well combined.
5. Reserve 1/4 cup of crumbs for topping of cheesecake.
6. Pour the remaining crumbs into your cheesecake pan and pack down lightly on the bottom and sides to form a nice even layer. Set aside.
7. In a bowl using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese until soft, about 1 minute.
8. Next add in your sugar, vanillas and eggs and blend until just mixed, scraping down the sides of your bowl.
9. Lastly add in your heavy cream and mix until creamy and smooth for about 1 minute, no more.
10. Next pour your cheesecake batter ontop of the crust into your cheesecake pan and gently layer on the apple topping overtop.
11. Sprinkle around the top outer edges of the cheesecake the 1/4 cup reserved cookie crumbles.
12. Place your cheesecake pan inside another pan, as we will be adding water so the cheesecake sits in a water bath.
13. Put the pan holding the cheesecake, inside the oven, then gently pour in warm water so the cheesecake sits in the water bath, about halfway up the cheesecake pan. This is why we used foil so no water gets in.
14. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes until outer edges are just set but the center still wiggles.
15. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, pull out cheesecake from water bath and place back in the oven, door open and oven off for 30 additional minutes.
16. After 30 minutes, remove the foil on the outside of the cheesecake pan and place on your counter on a wire rack to cool for another 2-3 hours until completely cooled.
17. Cover the cheesecake with a paper towel to absorb any moisture, and cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
18. When ready, remove cheesecake from spring form pan, slice and serve and ENJOY!!

What did the fork say to the cheesecake?

I’m really digging you.