White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Recipe and Pictures From Cooking Classy

1 store-bought pre-made oreo crust (save the lid) or make your own

1 TBS  sugar

1- 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

12 oz. cream cheese (1-1/2 pkg.), softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 TBS lemon juice

6 oz. white chocolate, chopped or 1 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk

1.  Preheat oven to 325℉.   If making your own crust press into 8 or 9 inch pie pan.  Bake for 5 minutes to set.

2.  In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 TBS sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Stir in cold water and add raspberries. Cook over medium heat whisking often, until raspberries break down and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and force sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds.  Set aside.

 

3.  In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in egg and egg white. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Set mixture aside.

4.  Melt white chocolate with cream (or milk)  in a double boiler until melted and smooth, or melt in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Add melted chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth. 

5.  Pour 2/3 cup cheesecake mixture into the oreo crust and spread evenly over bottom. Drizzle or spoon with 2 TBS raspberry sauce. Slowly ladle remaining cheesecake mixture over the drizzled raspberry sauce, covering all the raspberry sauce (you just don't want it to show through). Carefully jiggle the pan to even out the top. 

6.  Now, fill a clean medicine syringe with raspberry sauce and begin to pipe small circles in a swirl pattern over cheesecake. (I used a piping bag with the end barely cut off).  Take a toothpick or sharp pointy knife and beginning with the center circle, run the toothpick through the center of each heart (don't lift the toothpick out until you finish the last circle).

7.  Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes (Mine only needed 35), then turn oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

8.  Cover with saved lid and refrigerate until fully set about 6 hours. Top slices with remaining raspberry sauce and optional sweetened whipped cream if desired.