{our best bites} white chocolate raspberry cheesecake

HOLY TOLEDO! This was the best cheesecake I've ever made AND the best white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I've ever tasted! It was PHENOMENAL! It has a wonderfully smooth texture and perfect combination of flavors. This is another NEW FAVORITE recipe from Our Best Bites "Savoring the Seasons" cookbook.

And it turned out beautiful!!! I was SO pleased!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Raspberry sauce-
12 oz. frozen unsweetened raspberries (about 3 c.)
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. water, divided
1 T. corn starch

Crust-
2 1/2 c. chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies, such as Oreos)
6 T. butter, melted

Cheesecake-
1 c. white chocolate chips
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp
1 t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. flour
3/4 c. sour cream

fresh raspberries, for garnish
white chocolate curls, for garnish

Directions:
1. For the sauce: Place frozen berries, sugar and 2 T. water in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir occasionally, mashing berries with your spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Combine remaining 1 T. water with corn starch in a small bowl and then add mixture to sauce. Stirring constantly, allow to simmer 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds. Set aside. This sauce can be made several days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

2. For the crust: Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom and 1" up the sides of a 10" springform pan.

3. Preheat oven to 350*.

4. For the cheesecake: Place the white chocolate chips ina microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

5. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a separate mixing bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add extracts, flour,  and sour cream and beat just until combined. With the mixer running, add the melted white chocoate in a steady stream and mix just until incorporated.

6. Pour half the cream cheese mixture over the cookie crust and spread evenly. Drizzle 2 T. raspberry sauce over the top and use a knife to swirl the sauce into the filling. Pour remaining filling on top and drizzle another 2 T. raspberry sauce over the top. Use a knife to swirl the sauce.

7. Place the springform pan on top of 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Wrap the foil up the sides of the pan to prevent water from leaking into the pan. Place the foil-wrapped pan into a larger shallow pan, such as a large roasting pan, and place in the oven. Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to reach about 2/3 up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake 70-80 minutes or until the cheesecake is set on top and very lightly golden around the edges. Cheesecake should have a slight jiggle when gently shaken.

8. Remove both pans from the oven and let cheesecake sit in the water bath for 30 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water and remove the foil. Place the pan on a cooling rack until cooled to room temp. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

9. When ready to serve, gently remove the sides from the springform pan and cut cake into 10-12 slices. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce drizzled on top and garnish with fresh berries and white chocolate curls, if desired.