Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, fine
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup fine sugar
  • 2 pounds cream cheese, 4 full fat blocks
  • 16 ounces white chocolate for baking
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
  • 6 tablespoons room temperature butter

Instruction

  • Gather ingredients, 4 mixing bowls, hand mixer, measuring cups and spoons, large ziplock bag, pot and springform pan.
  • Let the cream cheese and butter stay out for an hour to get it close to room temperature.
  • Start the simple syrup for the cranberries. In the pot, add 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water and heat until sugar is dissolved. Set to the side for 5 minutes, then add the cup of cranberries. Let cranberries sit for at least 2 hours. I let them soak overnight while the cheesecake chills.
  • Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the large ziplock bag, place one sleeve of graham crackers. You can use anything to paddle the bag to break up the graham cracker. We use a rolling pin.
  • Place crumbs (1 1/4 cup) in the bowl with 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix with hands and place into the springform pan. Work the crumb mixture until nice and even. You can just put the graham crust on the bottom of the pan or you can also come up the sides.
  • Start the cheesecake mixture. Add 2 pounds of cream cheese (room temperature), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together and use your hand mixer to make creamy and consistent.
  • Melt your white chocolate. I do this by microwaving for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals until it is completely melted. Add the melted chocolate to cream cheese mixture and blend well.
  • Add one egg at a time and blend until everything is creamy. Add this mixture on top of crust.
  • Cook cheesecake for one hour. Take a knife to loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan.
  • Refrigerate for minimum of 4 hours, although I just let it sit overnight. Release from springform pan.
  • Drain the cranberries. Put 1 cup of fine sugar into a bowl and add a handful of cranberries at a time. Shake the bowl to get the sugar to coat each cranberry and then put to the side and repeat until all cranberries are complete. I recommend the fine sugar for this step because it will coat the cranberry much better than a regular granulated sugar that you use for baking.
  • Decorate the cheesecake with the sparkling cranberries and serve.