Blue Ribbon Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F In 13"x9" glass or ceramic baking dish, mix crumbs, butter, cinnamon & 1/2 cup sugar until crumbs are evenly moistened. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture firmly onto the bottom of the baking dish.
• 2. In a large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, 1/8 t. salt & remaining sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sour cream; beat 30 seconds or until blended.
• 3. Pour cream cheese mixture over crust & spread evenly. Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven & sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Return to oven baking 10 minutes longer. Turn oven off; leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour. Remove & cool completely on wire rack. Cover & refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 13" X 9" ceramic or glass baking dish, mix crumbs, butter, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the sugar until crumbs are moistened. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture firmly onto the bottom of dish.
• In a large mixing bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, 1/8 teaspoons of salt, and remaining sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sour cream; beat 30 seconds or until blended.
• Pour cream cheese mixture over the crumb crust and spread evenly. Bake 20 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Return to oven; bake 10 minutes longer. Turn off oven and leave cake inside the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cake and cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Grease a 9x13" baking pan or coat with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, maple syrup and salt until lightened and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Beat or stir the flour into the butter mixture just until evenly incorporated.
• Firmly press the dough into the pan.
• Lay a sheet of wax paper over the dough, then press it out to the edges until flat and smooth on top. Peel off and discard the paper. Using a fork, prick the dough all over.
• Bake in the upper third of the oven for 17-21 minutes or until tinged with brown at the edges.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool briefly.
• Using a table knife, spread the apple butter evenly over the dough.
• CREAM CHEESE LAYER.
• In a food processor, process the cream, maple syrup, egg and vanilla until well blended and completely smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping and scraping down the bowl sides several times or beat in bowl of electric mixer on low speed, the cream cheese, until very smooth, add the maple syrup, egg and vanilla and continue beating until well blended.
• Pour the cream-cheese mixture over the apple butter, rap the pan or generously shake it to spread the cream cheese mixture out to the edges.
• Bake in upper third of oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cream cheese layer is beginning to brown and appears barely set when the pan is jiggled.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until cooled. Sift the cinnamon over the top.
• Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 1 hour.
• Using a large sharp knife, cut the slab into 18 bars, wipe the knife clean between cuts.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month -- If freezing, leave slab whole, then cut into bars when partially thawed.