White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I made this amazing white chocolate raspberry cheesecake for Tim's birthday in December, but I thought it might be a nice break in the pumpkin-ness to share it now. I have made it a few times since his birthday, will likely make it again for his birthday and basically just love how easy it is but how fancy it looks and tastes. It also provided the perfect reason to purchase a springform pan :)

Tim and I love the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake at Olive Garden, and Tim said this was almost as good as it :) I'm not a big cheesecake person, but this. dessert. was. good. And Tim actually finished it, which is rare - who would have known that I would marry the one man who could care less if I baked as much as I do?! Tim noted the cheesecake's especially fruity taste, as opposed to the alternative, which I suppose would be a white chocolate taste.

The only thing I did differently from the recipe was use crushed graham crackers instead of cookie crumbs, although I'm sure they would be equally yummy and would add to the chocolate flavor.

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.

Source: allrecipes.com