FREE Holiday Recipe: Joey's Eggnog Cheesecake

Preparation

Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10 or 11 inch springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil.

The Crust

• 2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 3 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 Stick Salted Butter (Melted)
• The Zest of 1 Navel Orange.

Combine all ingredients well and evenly spread on the bottom of a springform pan. Make sure that your crust is flat and evenly distributed across the pan. Bake the crust at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

The Filling

• 40oz (5 Sticks) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 8oz Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Eggnog
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3/4oz Pure Orange Extract
• 1oz of your favorite Spiced Rum
• 3/8 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
• 3/8 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/8 Teaspoon Ground Cardamon
• 4 Large Organic Eggs.

Combine all ingredients except the eggs until your mixture is completely smooth and evenly combined, with no lumps of cream cheese. Once this is done you can then add the 4 eggs. It is important to wait and do the eggs last so that they do not become overbeaten in your mixture - that could trap air pockets in your cheesecake filling and cause it to crack while baking. Once the eggs have been mixed in, pour your filling mixture over the crust in the springform pan.

Baking and Cool Down

Place your cheesecake in the center rack of your oven, but before you shut the oven door, place a baking pan with at least 2 cups of water on the oven rack beneath it, this will give you the effect of a water-bath (a popular method of cooking cheesecakes to ensure they remain moist and don't crack while baking) without the possibility of water leeching into your crust. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once your bake time is up, turn off your oven and open the oven door just a crack to slowly reduce the heat inside. Let your cheesecake sit in the inactive oven for 40 minutes to slowly return to room temperature. doing this slowly will once again reduce the chances of your cheesecake breaking. Once at room temperature, place your cheesecake in the refrigerator and let chill overnight.