Mmm...Cheesecake.

Tonight, I'm going to a "Ladies Dinner" with people from my church. They needed people to bring desserts, and since I've learned to make cheesecake and it's easy to make, I decided to make one.

People keep asking for my recipe, and I will share it here as well. I cannot take credit for it though, I got it out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. (A must-have for any kitchen). I did, however, add cinnamon into the crust.

Ingredients:

Crust
-Finely crushed graham crackers
-1 tbsp sugar
-Cinnamon for sprinkling
-1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Filling
3- 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk


Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375.

You're supposed to use about 7oz of graham crackers. I just guesstimate about half of the box, (my box is 14.8oz). Use whatever method you feel is best for getting them finely crushed. I use my Magic Bullet Express.

In a skillet, melt the stick of butter. Once it's melted, add your crushed graham crackers and the tbsp of sugar. Mix it until the butter is well distributed. I take the wrapper from my stick of butter and wipe the inside of it into my spring-form pan for greasing purposes. Take the mixing and press it into the bottom of the pan until it's pressed pretty evenly. (To keep it off of my hands and in the pan, I put a layer of plastic wrap under my hands).

Take your cinnamon and sprinkle a layer of it onto the top of the crust. It adds a nice flavor. This picture is before the cinnamon.


For the filling, take your cream cheese, the sugar, the vanilla and the flour and mix it well with an electric mixer. Once it's mixed, beat in the milk until it's smooth. Then beat in your egg. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl for any chunks of cream cheese that may have been missed by your mixer. (This is problematic with my mixer). Beat it again to make sure it's all in there mixed evenly. Pour it into the spring-form pan and put it in the oven.


I use a 9" spring-form pan and bake it about 35 minutes. If you're using an 8" then you should bake it for about 40 minutes.

As you can see, I put a cookie sheet under the spring-form pan. I do this because when you pour the filling it, it's very runny, and there's not always a lot of room at the top. It's just to catch an accidental spill. You also can do a bath for your cheesecake, a method I've not tried because I don't have a pan that's deep enough. It can reduce the cracking in your cheesecake. Some people prefer to put a pan of water on the rack below the cheesecake so that the crust doesn't have the chance to get soggy. I think I will try this next time.

A great tip to knowing if it's ready: Gently shake the pan. If the outer 2 inches appear to be solid and the rest is jiggly, then take it out. It's ready.


As you can see, mine did crack. It usually does. But it still tastes good. :)

This part is where the instructions ALWAYS differ. This is what I do:

Let it sit out for an hour at room temperature. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill for 6-8 hours. (I just do mine overnight. By the time it's time to eat, it's definitely chilled enough.) Take a paring knife (the really thin and inexpensive ones) and run it around the edge of the pan, separating the cake from the pan. Then it's ready to serve!