White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I LOVE cheesecake! And my favorite cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory is the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. So when I heard there was a dessert contest in our ward, I went online and found this recipe! I just HAD to give it a try. I haven't made a cheesecake since I was like 16 or something so I was a little nervous and it took me FOREVER! But anyway, here's what I did...

I made a few alterations, like having the crust go up the side and just using Oreo cookies for the crust (instead of regular chocolate cookies and sugar), but I followed everything else pretty much to a T. It wasn't perfect. I don't have the stuff to do a water bath, so I just put a 9x13 pan of water below and it still had a nice fat crack (thank heavens for toppings). That and I wish the filling was just a TAD more firm, but it still ended up tasting GREAT!! And I'd like to thank Woodranch for helping me gain some dessert decorating skills, haha! :)

And by the way, I ended up winning!! I was totally surprised because there were a lot of really great desserts out there, too. My grand prize, may you ask? I got to be the first to dunk our bishop in the dunk tank! Good times :)

Anyway, below is my cheesecake and then I put the website's picture, plus the recipe, in case you wanted to try it :) Oh, and here is the link on All Recipes.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 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.
5. 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.