Shelly's Recipe

CRANBERRY NUT CHEESECAKE

Category: Cheesecake

Crust
1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch nutmeg
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Zest from one orange

Preheat the oven to 325. For the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, walnuts, sugar, and butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.

For the cheesecake, in the bowl of your stand-type mixer, beat the cream cheese, salt, and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, cornstarch, and nutmeg. Chop the cranberry sauce in the blender. Add the 1/2-cup walnuts and zest. Set aside.

Pour cream cheese batter into the prepared crust. Spoon the cranberry sauce on top. Use a straightedge spatula and vertically cut through the batters to create a cranberry swirl in the cheesecake. Bake for 60 minutes or until the cheesecake tests done. Cool completely and then chill in the refrigerator before serving. Baker’s notes: Try baking it as a layered cheesecake putting half of the cheesecake filling in the crust, spooning the cranberry filing into the shell, and then the second half of the filling.