cheesecake

Name: Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: !Graham Cracker Crust; 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature; 1.25 cups graham crackers, crushed (1 sleeve worth); 1/4 cup sugar; !Cheesecake filling; 4- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened; 4 eggs; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1.25 cups sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; !Sour Cream Topping; 2 cups sour cream; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; !Strawberry Glaze; 1 quart strawberries; 3 teaspoon lemon juice; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 cup water; 1 cup sugar; red food coloring; !Other; 1 quart strawberries

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars are a delicious treat made from cream cheese, sour cream and eggs on a graham cracker crust with a swirl of fresh blueberry purée.

Cheesecake just may be my favorite dessert and it has been FOREVER since I have shared one with you all. These Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars are perfect for Easter, which is seriously approaching fast, or an other spring time gathering. As far as cheesecake goes, this is a really simple one to whip together and is really pretty! I am in love with the marbling effect from the top view!

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars have minimal ingredients needed. You start with a graham cracker crust base made of just graham crackers, butter and sugar. Then move onto the next layer of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract. The blueberry swirl is made of just fresh blueberries and then you can garnish with some whipped cream and a few blueberries for presentation.

Tips & Tricks

Water Bath

There are a few cheesecake recipes that I don’t use a water bath with and this is one of those. You certainly can to prevent cracking from the steam. To create a water bath simple place the 13 x 9 inch pan into a larger pan. Fill that larger with a bit of water- 2 inches worth. Then, bake per instructions.

Lump Free Batter

The goal when making a cheesecake is to have a silky texture free of lumps. How can we ensure this?

Eggs and cream cheese should be warmed up to room temperature or close before beginning. I just leave these ingredients out on the counter 30 minutes- one hour before baking.
Beat the cream cheese with sugar until smooth before adding any other ingredients.
Eggs will be added lastly and one at a time. Gently mix.

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake, graham cracker crust, easter cheesecake, easter dessert, cheesecake bars, fresh blueberry dessert

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars are a delicious treat made from cream cheese, sour cream and eggs on a graham cracker crust with a swirl of fresh blueberry purée.

Course Dessert

Keyword bluberry, cheesecake, dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

chill time 2 hours

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 16 servings

Author Amber

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

32 ounces cream cheese (4 packages)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries

Garnish

whipped cream
fresh blueberries

Instructions

Get the eggs, cream cheese and butter out to start bringing to room temperature before preparing the cheesecake.
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Place graham crackers in food processor to turn into crumb. Add in 1/3 cup of the sugar and the melted butter.
Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan. Press the mix down with a flat surface ( I use the bottom of a measuring cup) so it is even and will hold together after cooking. I line my pan with parchment paper so you can easily remove the entire cheesecake for serving.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Then set to the side to cool.
Use a hand or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese. Add 1 cup of sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla extract and sour cream. Beat again. Add in one egg at a time. Blend and then pour over the crust.
Purée the blueberries in food processor. Use a spoon to drop the purée on the top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to cut into the batter and create a marble effect.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is almost set.
Cool and then chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours- overnight.
Cut into 16 equal pieces. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top and more fresh blueberries.

20 Crazy Delicious No-Bake Summer Desserts

We are ready for summertime in this household and the weather has been gorgeous lately! Sunny and 90 degree days which means lounging by the pool, sipping frozen beverages and neighborhood grill outs is around the corner. Summer gets pretty darn hot and muggy here in Cincinnati and I try to avoid turning the oven on as much as possible so today we have 20 Crazy Delicious No-Bake Summer Dessert recipes because dessert is always on that weekly must-have list!

No Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake from The Cincy Shopper. This dessert is gorgeous with a Nilla Wafer crust and layers of orange creamsicle goodness.

Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats from Crayons & Cravings are basically the cutest no-bake treat for summer! This one will impress friends at summer gatherings and no, you don’t have to tell them how easy it was to make! It can be our little secret.

You can’t talk about fabulous desserts without some peanut butter options! These No Bake Oreo Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips from Savory Tooth have 3 layers of yum. OREO + peanut butter = gimme some now!

Raw Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake from One Clever Chef has me swooning! Just look at that color!

Gluten-free Vegan Mocha Cheesecake Bites from Vegan Huggs is a must-make this summer. Who doesn’t love some mocha? or cheesecake? or bite-sized anything?

Chocolate Eclair Cake from Amanda’s Cookin’. Do I need to even say anything? Just wrap it up, I am taking this one to go and no, I probably won’t share.

What is summer without some fresh strawberries? This Strawberry Cheesecake Pie from Spend with Pennies is a creamy no-bake dessert.

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars from The View from Great Island. Eggless cookie dough and rich chocolate combine for a simple summer treat.

More Crazy Delicious No-Bake Summer Desserts

No Bake OREO birthday Cake Squares from Brooklyn Farm Girl.

Strawberry Lush Cake from Small Town Woman.

Light and Luscious Easy Lemon Trifle from A Magical Mess.

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecakes from Pint-Sized Treasures.

Coffee Granita from Fun, Food and Frolic.

White Chocolate Raspberry Truffles from Sweet and Savory Meals.

No-churn Red Wine, Strawberry and Salted Dark Chocolate Ice Cream from Pass Me Some Tasty.

Edible OREO Birthday Cake Cookie Dough from Leggings ‘N’ Lattes.

Red Velvet OREO Truffles from Simply Made Recipes.

Homemade Banana Cherry Popsicles from Me and My Inklings.

Coconut Cheesecake with Berry Jelly from My Gorgeous Recipes.

Dreamy Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Popsicles from Occasionally Eggs.

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping made with an easy graham cracker crust, creamy layer of cheesecake, a layer of sour cream on top and topped with strawberries with a fresh strawberry glaze drizzle.

I have said this before and will say again- I love cheesecake! Cheesecake is my favorite dessert and my favorite way to make it is with a simple graham cracker crust, easy filling and a fresh fruit sauce so this Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping hits the mark.

I bought this 9inch Heart Shaped Springform Pan last year and just used it for the first time! I love the heart shape for Valentine’s Day (which is fast approaching) or anytime really. If you don’t have a use for a heart shaped cake pan, you can use a regular 9 inch Springform Pan.

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

This Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping is pretty basic and easy to make. Start with the graham crust which is the same as that with our Sparkling Cranberries White Chocolate Cheesecake. Graham crackers, room temperature butter and a bit of sugar are pressed into the bottom of the springform pan. To crush the graham crackers, place them into a ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin. Really easy and this crust works great for any kind of cheesecake you are making.

The cheesecake filling is the most important step to making this dessert perfect. Make sure your cream cheese is softened before mixing. Don’t get impatient.. this is really important. Cream cheese straight from the fridge will clump up and not mix well so the cheesecake won’t be smooth and creamy like we want it. I also have my eggs sit out while the cream cheese softens so everything mixes well. Blend all the cheesecake filling ingredients together with a hand mixer and pour into springform pan. Bake for 55 minutes. Do a toothpick check in the center to make sure it comes out clean. If not, place back in oven and check every 5 minutes.

Should you do a water bath for this cheesecake? I did not but you certainly can. Cover the bottom of the cheesecake in foil to avoid leaks and then put the springform pan into a larger pan with some hot water inside (no more than an inch deep). A water bath can help cook the cheesecake more evenly and reduce cracks.

As the cheesecake cooks in the oven, make your sour cream topping. Use a hand mixer to blend all your sour cream topping ingredients together and pour over the cheesecake right when it comes out of the oven. Place back into oven for 5 minutes.

Let the cheesecake sit out and cool for about 30 minutes and then put in fridge to set up for 12-24 hours.

Hull all 2 quarts worth of strawberries. Half will be decorated on top of the cheesecake so you can be picky and grab the best ones or the ones closest in size. Start on the outer edges and place strawberry after strawberry on top until completely filled.

The other half of the strawberries will go into the food processor to make a puree. Blend well and pour in a saucepan on the stovetop on a medium heat with lemon juice and sugar. Bring the strawberries to a simmer. On the side, mix 1 cup water with 3 tablespoons cornstarch. Pour into saucepan. Whisk well. The sauce will begin to thicken and you can add in your red food coloring. Remove from heat and strain. Let cool and place into a pastry bag to decorate the cheesecake. Use as much or as little sauce as you would like- cover all the strawberries if you want!

Have extra strawberry sauce? Save for later to pour over waffles for breakfast!

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping made with an easy graham cracker crust, creamy layer of cheesecake, a layer of sour cream on top and topped with strawberries with a fresh strawberry glaze drizzle. Recipe inspired from Taste of Home.

Yields: 12 servings

Graham Cracker Crust
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1.25 cups graham crackers, crushed (1 sleeve worth)
1/4 cup sugar
Cheesecake filling
4- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1.25 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sour Cream Topping
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Glaze
1 quart strawberries
3 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
red food coloring
Other
1 quart strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make your graham cracker crust. Place a sleeve of graham crackers into Ziploc bag and crush crackers with a rolling pin.
In a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, 6 tablespoons room temperature butter and 1/4 cup sugar and then place into the bottom of your 9 inch springform pan. Press the graham crackers down.
Make the Cheesecake Filling. Use a hand mixer to thoroughly mix your softened cream cheese and 1.25 cups sugar. Blend until creamy. Add the tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Blend again. Lastly, add 4 eggs and mix again. Pour filling into springform pan.
If you would like- make your water bath by covering bottom of springform pan with foil and putting into a larger pan with hot water at bottom.
Bake cheesecake for 55 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. If not, place back into oven checking every 5 minutes until done.
Sour Cream Topping. While the cheesecake cooks, blend your sour cream topping with hand mixer. Add 2 cups sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a bowl and blend until creamy. When the cheesecake is finished cooking, add the sour cream topping right away smoothing out the top and place back into oven for 5 minutes.
Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes before placing into fridge for 12-24 hours.
Hull all 2 quarts of strawberries and decorate the top of the cheesecake with half of them. Start on the outside and work your way in.
Strawberry Glaze. Place the other half of the strawberries into food processor and blend until you have a puree. Place the puree into a saucepan on the stovetop on a medium heat adding 3 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 cup sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons cornstarch and add to pan. Add your red food coloring (to desired amount) and whisk sauce until thickened. This only takes a few minutes after the sauce/glaze has begun to simmer. Remove from heat and strain. Let cool.
Once the strawberry glaze has cooled, place into a pastry bag and cut a small amount off tip to complete the decoration of the cheesecake. Glaze in between each strawberry and around the sides, you may even place the glaze over each individual strawberry. You don't have to use it all, just the desired amount of glaze.
Place into fridge until time to serve.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

Layered Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert

Layered Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert with a pretzel crust, layer of creamy no bake cheesecake topped with strawberries and Jell-O. Most of you have probably had a pretzel salad dessert but if you haven’t, you must make today!

Layered Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert is great for BBQ’s, family gatherings, work pot lucks or just a treat for the family on the weekend. It is really tasty and one of those dishes that pleases everyone. Maybe not everyone… I had a coworker that hated strawberries. Hated them! She’s the oddball in this equation though.

The most difficult part of making this dessert is having patience has the layers cool. Patience is not my thing! Bake your pretzel crust, let cool. Then, whip up the cream cheese layer and again, let cool. Make sure the cream cheese layer butts up tot he side of the casserole dish to avoid Jell-O leakage. You can see I had a spot that leaked through a tad so my pretzel crust has a bit of red tint to it. Still tastes great. When you do the Jell-O layer, have it cool and set just a bit before pouring over the cream cheese layer. This will also help you get those perfect layers. Place in fridge until Jell-O is completely set up and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

What type of gathering can you see yourself making this Layered Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert?

Layered Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert

2 packets Jell-O strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
4 cups sliced frozen strawberries
2 cup crushed pretzels
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
8 ounce cream cheese
8 ounce container whipped topping
extra whipped topping for garnish

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Crush your pretzels, 3 tablespoons sugar and melt the butter. Squish together on the bottom of a casserole dish. I used a 9 x 11 with a tight squeeze.
Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Boil 1 cup of water. Add your strawberry packets and let dissolve. Add in 1 cup cold water and mix. Set to the side.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to thoroughly mix the cream cheese. Add in one cup sugar and mix. Add in 8 ounces of whipped topping and fold in.
Once the crust layer is cooled, add your cream cheese layer. Make sure to spread cream cheese layer evenly and butt up to all the sides of dish.
When the Jell-O has cooled, add in your sliced strawberries. Mix and add the layer to your casserole dish.
Place in fridge until completely set.
Serve with a dollop of whipped topping on top.

Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #SimpleGoodness

Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake with fresh strawberries, a simple and smooth cheesecake filling, a sweet NILLA Wafer crust and beautiful strawberry flowers decorated on top.

NILLA Wafers always bring back childhood memories for myself. My grandmother would frequently make various cream cheese dips with NILLA Wafers on the side for family gatherings and holidays. The texture and sweetness of NILLA Wafers are so delicious. NILLA Wafers are crispy but still melt in your mouth, which kind of make them the perfect treat for young kids. My own children definitely beg for them during snack time. I love them because they are simple and make the most wonderful pie crusts!

Ibotta is a great app that helps you earn money as you shop! Right now, when you buy 2 NILLA Wafer boxes or pie crusts you earn $1.00. Your spring baking just got a little sweeter. Simply click the images below and save yourself some money.

Your local Walmart will have all the ingredients for your Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake. To find those delicious NILLA Wafers, check out the cracker/cookie aisle. Look for the bright yellow box. I bought the original today but the reduced fat or minis will also work well with this cheesecake. The minis would actually be fantastic so pick up whichever one you would like.

How to make the Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake:

Make the crust with crumbled NILLA Wafers and melted butter, press into the bottom of your spring form pan.
Line fresh sliced strawberries around the edge of the pan.
Pour half your cheesecake filling into pan. Make sure that your cream cheese is softened and not directly from the fridge when blending to ensure a smooth texture.
Make a layer of sliced strawberries.
Make a layer of NILLA Wafers.
Pour the remainder of cheesecake filling on top.

Easy enough, right? Bake on 325 degrees for 1 hour, 20 minutes. Once the cheesecake cools, decorate as you wish.

Should you do a water bath for the cheesecake or not? This is up to you. When I know I am decorating the top of a cheesecake, I don’t worry about the water bath so much but it never hurts to do one! For a water bath while baking, place a large piece of foil on the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan. You then will place that on top of a large pan that is filled with hot water. This can help reduce cracking of the cheesecake from steam while in the oven.

Watch the short video below to learn how easy it is to make a strawberry flower garnish on top of your beautiful Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake. Little touches like these flower strawberries can really make a dessert special and it will be a topic for discussion amongst your friends and family.

I look forward to this spring season ahead to enjoy time with friends and family and can’t wait to make this recipe again for everyone. Easter and Mother’s Day are just around the corner and a delicious Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake will just be so perfect and I know everyone will be in love with the strawberry flowers.

NILLA Wafers also makes a premade crust available at Walmart. If you would like to use the premade crust, follow all instructions below besides the following. You will need to separate the cheesecake filling batch into two separate pie crusts and reduce the cooking time to 35 minutes on 350 degrees since these will be smaller cheesecakes. The cheesecake filling, layering and decoration can all stay the same. The layered cheesecake will be fantastic no matter what you do! I cannot wait to see how yours turns out.

Want more recipe ideas? Make sure to visit NILLA Wafers for more great ideas and see all the simple goodness you can create this spring season.

Strawberry and NILLA Wafer Layered Cheesecake

layered cheesecake, #SimpleGoodness, #ad,

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 box NILLA Wafers
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 packages of 8 ounce cream cheese blocks, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 eggs

Grab a 9 inch spring form pan, stand or hand mixer, measuring cups, mixing bowls, cutting board, knife, food processor, foil and water bath (optional).
Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.
Put 2 cups worth of NILLA Wafers into the food processor and pulse until broken into tiny pieces. Place crumbs into a medium mixing bowl.
Add the 1/3 cup melted butter with crumbs, mix and pour into the bottom of the spring form pan.
Press the crumbs down slightly to even out the crust.
From your quart of strawberries, grab 3 pretty strawberries that will stand up nicely for those strawberry flowers. Slice the remainder of strawberries. Line strawberry slices around the edge of the spring form pan. Save remainder of strawberries for later.
Now make your cheesecake filling. Place 4 packages of cream cheese into large mixing bowl, along with 1 cup sugar. Using your stand or hand mixer, blend until smooth.
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 4 eggs to cream cheese mixture and blend until creamy and smooth, leaving no cream cheese chunks.
Pour half the cream cheese mixture into the spring form pan.
Place a layer of sliced strawberries on top of cheesecake filling.
Place a layer of NILLA Wafers on top of the strawberry layer.
Pour the remainder of your cheesecake on top. Cover with foil.
Place cheesecake in oven in a water bath (optional).
Cook for 1 hour. Remove foil cover and cook another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Once cooled, take a butter knife and do a sweep of the outside edges of the cheesecake/spring form pan and place in fridge for 2 hours.
Remove the cheesecake from fridge and release from the spring form pan.
With the 3 whole strawberries that you picked out the quart earlier, make your strawberry flowers.
Finish decorating the cheesecake. You can do whatever you please on top. I did a circle of NILLA Wafers, a circle of sliced strawberries with 3 strawberry flowers.

Mini Easter Cheesecakes

Mini Easter Cheesecakes with a simple graham cracker crust, cheesecake with a little nest of chocolate frosting and Robin eggs. Cute and festive for your Easter get together!

I love this time of year when the weather starts to warm up and families get together for grill outs and activities. One thing that I love to do is cook for my family! Spring just inspires me to do so. I wanted to create a recipe that really brings out the fun in the upcoming Easter festivities but still be an indulgent treat. Of course, I have a deep love for cheesecake so here comes Mini Easter Cheesecakes.

Making cheesecake can be difficult but this recipe is perfect for those that have little or even no experience baking cheesecake. You will put the graham cracker in the food processor or just chop them into crumbs. Mix with some melted butter and press into some cupcake liners in the muffin pan. Bake for 5 minutes, cool, and mix the cheesecake filling. The trick to a good cheesecake is using cream cheese that is not too cold. This helps you get a nice creamy consistency and will bake up perfectly. Once the cheesecake filling is mixed, fill each cupcake liner and pop into the oven once again. Let cool and decorate.

Decorations are really easy for these Mini Easter Cheesecakes. I used a premade chocolate frosting. You are welcome to whip up your own buttercream of course if you wish. I just wanted to keep this recipe as quick and as convenient as possible so the premade worked out just fine for me. Frost a ring around the edge of each cheesecake. Finely chop some chocolate from a milk chocolate or dark chocolate bar and sprinkle over top. Set in 3 Robin Eggs and done. Let chill and serve!

How do you plan on spending this Easter? Do you also get together with your family for a dinner, dessert, crafts, egg decorating?

Mini Easter Cheesecakes

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
.5 milk chocolate bar
1 cup chocolate frosting
36 candy Robin Eggs

Gather ingredients, muffin pan, cupcake liners, mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer, measuring cups, knife, cutting board, frosting bag and tip.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place cupcake liners into muffin pan.
Crush a sleeve of graham crackers either in a Ziploc bag or in a food processor.
Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and add to graham cracker crumbs.
Place a spoonful of graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner pressing the crackers down.
Bake for 5 minutes, let cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3/4 cup sugar. use a hand or stand mixer to blend until creamy and smooth. If you let the cream cheese sit out to warm up before this step, the mixture will turn out much more consistent than using cold cream cheese straight from the fridge.
Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full of the cheesecake filling.
Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.
Decorate your cheesecakes! Place the chocolate frosting into a frosting bag and frost a circle around the edge of each cheesecake.
Finely chop your chocolate bar and sprinkle chunks over the top of each cheesecake.
Place 3 Robin Eggs on each and enjoy!

Share this recipe on Pinterest with your friends:

2016 Most Popular Simply Made Recipes

Simply Made Recipes went live almost 6 months ago and boy, have we come a long way! Here is a list of our 5 most popular recipes for 2016 and we look forward to diving into 2017. 2017 Simply Made Recipes will jump start the year with healthy recipes for your New Year resolution. Our goal for 2017 is to triple our traffic and bring you 2 awesome new recipes every week.

What are your goals for the New Year? What would you like to see from us here at Simply Made Recipes?

Number ONE is our Avocado Bomb Sauce. This recipe has been a huge hit on Pinterest with my last count of over 50k repins. Why so popular? You can use this sauce for ANYTHING! A dip, dressing, sauce, on tacos, eggs, salad, whatever you please.

Number 2 is the 5 Ingredient Crock-Pot French Dips! We love this recipe because it is so easy and convenient, plus perfect for busy days when you can dump ingredients in the morning and eat when everyone gets home in the evening.

Our number 3 recipe came late in the year but has been a great find for google searches for the Slow Cooker Honey Pineapple Holiday Ham. Keep this recipe near by for Easter is approaching quickly!

The most popular dessert of 2016 and number 4 on the list is the Sparkling Cranberries White Chocolate Cheesecake. Don’t want to wait for cranberries to be back in season? That’s okay, try it with fresh raspberries on top! Delish!

Last but not least on the list to finish off the most popular of 2016 is our recipe for Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks. Cheesy and buttery and oh so delicious!

Simply Made Recipes is an affiliate of ShareASale.com and clicking a link and making a purchase may result in a small commission for us. This cost nothing extra to you and helps keep this site running!

Sparkling Cranberries White Chocolate Cheesecake

Sparkling Cranberries White Chocolate Cheesecake is a gorgeous holiday dessert. I love, love, love cheesecake and if you have followed me for awhile you probably have noticed this fact. The white chocolate cheesecake is so simple and has minimal ingredients with a nice homemade graham cracker crust that is amazing on its own. Add in the sparkling cranberries that are juicy and sweet for that ideal treat for a holiday party.

I feel like the photos don’t even show you how pretty this cheesecake even is. The sparkling cranberries are so fun and sparkle so beautifully. You can arrange the sparkling cranberries however you please or even have them set into a pretty bowl on the side for everyone to add their own or even just snack on like my children love to do. You can use these cranberries for other recipes, too. They look amazing in holiday drinks. You can even serve a simple vodka cranberry or kid friendly punch with sparkling cranberries for a garnishment.

I know I have said this before but I will mention it again. The trick to a perfect cheesecake is simple. Make sure the cream cheese has been sitting out a little bit to warm up before mixing so it turns out smooth and doesn’t have any chunks in it. Also, wrap the edges in foil to avoid burning.

Sparkling Cranberries White Chocolate Cheesecake

Sparkling Cranberries
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fine sugar
White Chocolate Cheesecake
2 pounds cream cheese
16 ounces white chocolate for baking
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Graham Cracker Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
6 tablespoons room temperature butter

Gather ingredients, 4 mixing bowls, hand mixer, measuring cups and spoons, large ziplock bag, pot and springform pan.
Let the cream cheese and butter stay out for an hour to get it close to room temperature.
Start the simple syrup for the cranberries. In the pot, add 1 cup granulated sugar and1 cup water and heat until sugar is dissolved. Set to the side for 5 minutes, then add the cup of cranberries. Let cranberries sit for at least 2 hours. I let them soak overnight while the cheesecake chills.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
In the large ziplock bag, place one sleeve of graham crackers. You can use anything to paddle the bag to break up the graham cracker. We use a rolling pin.
Place crumbs (1 1/4 cup) in the bowl with 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix with hands and place into the springform pan. Work the crumb mixture until nice and even. You can just put the graham crust on the bottom of the pan or you can also come up the sides.
Start the cheesecake mixture. Add 2 pounds of cream cheese (room temperature), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together and use your hand mixer to make creamy and consistent.
Melt your white chocolate. I do this by microwaving for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals until it is completely melted. Add the melted chocolate to cream cheese mixture and blend well.
Add one egg at a time and blend until everything is creamy. Add this mixture on top of crust.
Cook cheesecake for one hour. Take a knife to loosen the cheesecake from the pan. This part I am always terrible at and I cannot after the many, many cheesecakes I have made, get the sides perfect. Refrigerate for minimum of 4 hours, although I just let it sit overnight. Release from springform pan.
Drain the cranberries. Put 1 cup of fine sugar into a bowl and add a handful of cranberries at a time. Shake the bowl to get the sugar to coat each cranberry and then put to the side and repeat until all cranberries are complete. I recommend the fine sugar for this step because it will coat the cranberry much better than a regular granulated sugar that you use for baking.
Decorate the cheesecake with the sparkling cranberries and serve.

Simply Made Recipes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. This costs nothing extra to you and helps keep Simply Made Recipes running!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake is a must have fall dessert recipe. Perfect for special occasions like Thanksgiving or a special family treat. We have two big tips to get that perfectly smooth cheesecake texture and that is to make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before prepping this dessert and to put foil around the edges of your springform pan to keep the cheesecake edges from burning while in the oven. A great cheesecake takes time so be patient because you have to wait for the cream cheese to be at the right temperature, cook an hour and half and let cool so we always cook the cheesecake the day before a party or get together and decorate the day of.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecake filling
24 ounces room temperature cream cheese
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
15 ounce can pumpkin pie filling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
Graham cracker crust
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
6 tablespoons room temperature butter
Topping
2 cups cool whip
1/4 cup caramel

Gather ingredients, measuring cups, mixing bowls, foil, kitchen utensils, hand mixer and springform pan.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
In the large ziplock bag, place one sleeve of graham crackers. You can use anything to paddle the bag to break up the graham crackers into crumbs. We use a rolling pin. A food processor can also be used but I don't like cleaning up the extra mess.
Place graham cracker crumbs (1 1/4 cup) in the bowl with 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter(I have even melted the butter and it mixes much easier) and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix with hands and place into the springform pan. Work the crumb mixture until nice and even and pressed firmly. You can just put the graham crust on the bottom of the pan or you can also come up the sides.
Add the 24 ounces of cream cheese to mixing bowl and blend well with hand mixer. Make sure the cream has had time to sit to bring temperature down before this or you may get a chunky cheesecake and we don't want that.
Add 1.5 cups sugar, 1/4 cup sour cream, 15 ounces pumpkin pie filling, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3 eggs to the cream cheese and blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour mixture into the springform pan and cover sides with foil.
Place in oven for 1.5 hours.
Remove from oven and let cool before placing in fridge to chill for minimum of 2 hours.
Remove from fridge and release spring sides.
Cover cheesecake with a cool whip layer, followed by drizzle of caramel. We use the caramel from the squeeze bottle to make this step a cinch.
Serve. We always do a drizzle of caramel on a plate, then place a slice of pumpkin cheesecake on top for a nice presentation and the caramel sets into the graham cracker crust. Oh so delicious!

cheesecake

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars