New York White Chocolate Cheesecake

Get big "wow" factor with this luxurious dessert, with white filling and dark sauce thanks to convenient chocolate chips. ...MORE+ LESS-

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

May 5, 2010

Crust

(9-oz.) pkg. chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (2 1/4 cups)

tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

(8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2

cup sugar

eggs

(12-oz.) pkg. (2 cups) white vanilla chips or 12 oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating, chopped, melted*

cup whipping cream

teaspoon vanilla

1/3

cup semisweet chocolate chips

tablespoon butter

1/4

cup boiling water

3/4

cup sugar

tablespoons corn syrup

1/2

teaspoon vanilla or mint extract

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1

Place 12-inch square sheet of foil on rack below center oven rack in oven. Heat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well. Press in bottom and about 1 inch up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
2

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Quickly add melted chips, whipping cream and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour into crust-lined pan.
3

Bake at 325°F. for 55 to 65 minutes or until edges are set; center of cheesecake will be soft. Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Let cheesecake sit in oven for 30 minutes or until center is set.
4

Remove cheesecake from oven. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour or until completely cooled. Carefully remove sides of pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
5

In small heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon butter and boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk chocolate mixture until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar and corn syrup; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; boil 8 minutes without stirring.
6

Remove saucepan from heat. Stir 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into chocolate sauce. Cool 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve cheesecake with sauce. Store cheesecake and sauce in refrigerator.

To melt white vanilla chips or candy coating, place 1 cup or 6 oz. at a time in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM for 3 to 4 minutes or until melted, stirring once halfway through cooking. Stir until smooth.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave vanilla curls from the smooth underside of a white baking bar or vanilla candy coating square. Spoon the chocolate sauce over each piece of cheesecake and garnish it with a white chocolate curl.
Use a food processor to crush the wafer cookies, or seal them in a heavy-duty food storage plastic bag and press them with a rolling pin. Or use already crushed chocolate wafers boxed and available in the grocery store baking section.
For neat slices of cheesecake, wipe your knife blade clean with a warm wet cloth between each cut.
Prepare the recipe up to one day in advance; cover and refrigerate the cheesecake and sauce separately. Before serving the sauce, microwave it for 10 seconds and stir to restore it to its original consistency.