Cheesecake Baking with Mom

 We have never made or eaten a Cannoli Cheesecake before.  This is the year for it!

The recipe:

8 biscotti (large dry almond-anise, or your favorite biscotti)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

16 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

3 eggs (at room temperature)

3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

cherries (Italian, in syrup, such as Amarena, for serving, optional)

  

Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan.

• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pulse the biscotti to fine crumbs in a food processor. Drizzle in the butter, add the salt and pulse until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Bake for 8 minutes, until the crust smells toasted and is beginning to brown. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Add the salt, vanilla and lemon zest; beat on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center of the cake still moves just slightly.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Run a knife around the edge of the pan before releasing the collar.
• Top each slice of cheesecake with a spoonful of cherries, if using.

We started with the anise cookie crust.   Mom doesn't have a food processor so we have to do it the old fashioned way.

The crust after 8 minutes baking in the oven~

It smells wonderful!

We have never had mascarpone before.   To mom, it tastes like a spreadable heavy cream that is VERY rich!  

The batter is on top of the baked crust and ready for the oven but not before I got to lick the beaters!

Yes, the batter really is that white!

It took our cheesecake about an hour to bake.  It was still too jiggly at 45 minutes.

We need to wait for it to cool before we can proceed.

It was cold this morning on our walk and the weather peeps are saying that we may be waking up to a wee bit of snow tomorrow☺

Happy Thursday, everybuddy!

Love ya lots♥

Molly