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Bars: Cranberry Swirled White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Source of Recipe

Ginger


List of Ingredients

For the crust:
2 1/2 C. gingersnap crumbs
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. orange zest
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 C. unsalted butter, melted

For the cranberry swirl:
2 C. fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries
3/4 C. fresh orange juice
2/3 C. sugar
2 T. orange zest
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
4 t. vanilla extract

For the filling:
1/2 C. whipping cream
12 oz. white chocolate, chopped
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
6 T. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1 C. sour cream
3 eggs



Recipe

Directions: Heat oven to 350° F. 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 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

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.

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.

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

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.

Makes 32 small bars.