Candy Cane White Chocolate Cheesecake

Well, Hello!!! I thought everyone would love this recipe for the holidays. It's a keeper! Because what is more festive than the flavour of candycane? Okay, maybe eggnog, BUT I will try that in a cheesecake sometime soon aswell! For now, this one has no problem being my Christmas favorite.

Now I guess you are wondering why I love this cheesecake so much? To me it's because this is my VERY OWN RECIPE! Yes! I finally put on my own thinking cap, stepped away from the internet, and came up with this! I am so proud of myself :') I made some sugar cookies, crushed them in the food processor, and baked them into a crust. Next I beat up cream cheese until ultra smooth, threw in some candy canes, and baked it away. Voila! Ooo I forgot to mention there is a layer of white chocolate in the middle of the cheesecake. I hope you enjoy it!

Candy Cane Cheesecake
Recipe By Kala-Dawn's Kreations

Crust:
1 1/4 cup of sugar cookies that have been ground in a food processor
2-4 tbsp of butter, melted

Mix the crumbs and melted butter until moistened. Pat into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan, and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
3, 250 gr packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup crushed candy canes
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven 325F. Wrap foil around springform pan. (This is for a waterbath the cheesecake goes in, and so the crust doesn't get soggy)
Beat cream cheese until completely smooth. No lumps! Scrape down the sides often. Add sugar, and mix until combined. Mix in vanilla extract and salt. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time; just beating until it disappears. Be careful not to over beat in this step, or the cheesecake may crack while baking. Next, fold in candy canes. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top. Jiggle pan to remove any airbubbles.
Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. On the middle rack, place cheesecake. (baking above the pan prevents soggy crusts, and it still keeps the oven moist).
Bake 50-55 minutes. Until slightly jiggly in middle. Do not overbake.
Cool 1 hour on wire rack to room temperature, and transfer to refrigerator until firm. I always cool mine overnight, and to let the flavors develope.

To make the white chocolate decorations, melt 2 ounces of white chocolate over a double boiler, and pipe onto a piece of wax paper in random swirly clusters. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Top cooled cheesecake with fresh whipped cream and chocolate decorations :)

Enjoy!