White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Every year for Christmas, we attend a few parties. I always like making something new. Such a bad habit of mine...shouldn't you try stuff at home first, make sure it's delicious, then wow the crowd? Oh well. That, in combination with my dad begging me for over a year to try to make the raspberry cheesecake like they do at Olive Garden, made me search for this decadent recipe. What I found is a "knockoff" Cheesecake Factory recipe, and it was so great! Creamy and tangy with the raspberry sauce. I'll make this again for sure (although I don't know if Scott will let me share next time).

Note: follow this link at allrecipes.com for extra tips on baking a perfect cheesecake...and follow them.

Photo Credit to me

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Makes 9" Cheesecake
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons (I would do more next time-especially in between the layers of cheesecake) raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.