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Cranberry-Swirled White Chocolate Bars

Source of Recipe

Posted by Mary Ellen


List of Ingredients

Yield: 32 bars

Crust:

2 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Cranberry swirl:

2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

1/2 cup whipping cream
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons each: cornstarch, vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs




Recipe

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, combine gingersnap crumbs, sugar, orange zest and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter over; mix well. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

2. For cranberry swirl, combine the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until cranberries pop and mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender; puree until smooth. Strain into a mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature.

3. For the filling, place the cream in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; heat to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in white chocolate. Stir until melted. Let cool. Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add cornstarch, vanilla and salt; beat until well combined. Mix in sour cream. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in chocolate mixture.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour filling over crust; spread evenly. Drop cranberry mixture in dollops over filling. Draw swirls of cranberry mixture through filling with a knife.

5. Place a pan filled with water on the lower rack of the oven. Place cheesecake on middle rack. Bake until center of cheesecake is set, about 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake sit 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let cool. Chill at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.