Cranberry Cheesecake

By Hklbrries

This cheesecake must be chilled for at least 4 hours.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 7 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Details

Servings 14

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix the cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the melted butter until well combined. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside on a wire cake rack. Leave the oven on.

In a large, nonreactive saucepan, combine the cranberries, 2 cups water and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often to avoid scorching, until very thick and reduced to about 2 cups. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely, stirring often.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Beat in 1 1/2 cups of the cranberry mixture, the sour cream and cornstarch. Pour into the prepared crust, and dot the surface with heaping tablespoons of the remaining cranberry mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 F and continue baking until the edges are puffed and lightly browned, 50 to 60 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and run a thin knife around the inside of the pan to release the cheesecake from the side but leave the sides attached. Cool completely on a wire cake rack.

Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Remove the sides of the pan and the foil from the bottom. Serve chilled, dipping a thin, sharp knife into a tall glass of hot water before cutting each piece.