Cranberry Layer Cheesecake Recipe

My husband took the girls to show them off today, so I’m getting much more done a lot quicker than anticipated! Right now my Cranberry Layer Cheesecake is baking, which I found in an old Betty Crocker Cookbook I had.

Cranberry Layer Cheesecake
1 1/2 Cups Ground Oreo Cookies (or similar cookie) or Graham Crackers
1/4 Cup Butter (melted)
1 1/4 Cup Sugar + 1 Cup Sugar
3 TBSP Cornstarch
1 1/2 Cups Cranberries
3/4 Cup Cranberry Juice
4 Packages Cream Cheese (soften)
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

To make the crust (which I tried to take a picture of, but it kept coming out extremely shiny because of the aluminum pie pan), Mix the crushed cookies or graham crackers with the butter.

My Note: 1/4 cup butter was WAY too much. Next time, I’ll add half of that or add it slowly, because I ended up with butter floating on top of the cookies and had to use a paper towel to sop some up.

Preheat your oven to 350!

Press the mixture into your pan. I used the disposable aluminum pans in hopes that someone else might want to keep one (or more) of these pies, so the leftovers wouldn’t be at my house calling my name. However, it would have worked much better in a cheesecake pan, because the aluminum pan was too shallow. Bake your pie crust for about 8 minutes, then set aside to cool and reduce your oven temperature to 300.

Next start on your cranberry filling by mixing 1 1/4 cup sugar with the cornstarch, cranberries, and cranberry juice in a sauce pan. Heat on high to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook stirring often until all the cranberries pop open. This will take about 8 – 1o minutes.

Drop the cranberry mixture in your blender and blend until smooth! Set aside to cool.

Next make your cheesecake by mixing your cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, eggs, and heavy whipping cream. You can also add some grated orange or lemon peel to zest up the taste (about 2-3 tsp should work great).

Now that you have your ingredients whipped up, it’s time to put them together. Pour about 1/2 of your cheesecake gently into your pie crust. Using a spoon, drizzle 1/2 of the cranberry filling over the cheesecake. Be careful, you don’t want them to mix! And finally, top off with the remaining cheesecake, again carefully, so they don’t mix!

My Note: I found that if I worked from the outside in when covering the cranberry filling, it worked better. Starting from the center, pushed the cranberry filling to the outside, leaving a small layer all around the outer edge.

Now, stick your cheesecake in the over to bake for 1 hour and 15-25 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will be set on the outside, but still jiggle in the center.

My Note: If you put a shallow pan 1/2 full of water into the oven on a wrack directly under the cheesecake, it will help it not break so much.

Now, turn off your oven and crack the oven door open with the cheesecake sitting back on the wrack in the oven for about 30 additional minutes. Set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Top with remaining cranberry sauce and I am planning on adding a few more crushed cookies too.

I’ve already started prepping my Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie, but my Assistant Chef (yes, that’s him sitting on my messy desk in his Bumbo helping me blog right now) says it’s time for a break. So, I guess we’re off for lunch… which for him will be a warm bottle of his way-too-expensive hypoallergenic formula and for me, will probably include a bit too many of those delicious Gingersnap cookies! *blush*

My Note: Yes, I do know the Bumbo seat should not be on the desk but he’s sitting right in front of me, because he likes to watch me type. If he falls, he’ll fall straight into my lap (and he’s not yet wiggly enough to even make it move) and I would NEVER leave him anywhere except on the floor.

Want to know how this Baking Day started? Check it out HERE.