Apple Cider Cheesecake
- 270g or 2 packed cups digestive cookies or graham crackers
- 85g or 6 tablespoons butter (melted)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 720g or 3 cups fresh apple cider (honeycrisp cider is more tart, tastes great here)
- mulling spices
- 3 full fat cream cheese bricks (227g each, softened and at room temperature)
- 200g or 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 240g or 1 cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup reduced apple cider (from above)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Boil the cider with the mulling spices on high in a large pot for about 1 hour, until it has reduced to a thick syrup and you have about 1/3 cup. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Make the crust in your food processor: pulse the cookies until finely ground, add the butter, salt and sugar and pulse until it all comes together in wet crumbs.
- Press the crumbs into an 8” round springform pan wrapped with foil or into a 8" wide, 3" high cake pan greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then chill.
- Lower oven temperature to 325 F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is completely lump free. This can take a few minutes and you will likely need to scrape down a few times.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and reduced cider and pulse again repeatedly scraping down and beating until you have a very creamy mixture.
- Add the eggs and flour and beat until just combined – no more.
- Place the cheesecake pan in a 13×9” pan filled with hot water.
- Pour your filling into the crust and bake for 90 or more minutes, until you can shake it and the edges look set but the middle is still wobbly.
- Shut off the oven but leave the cheesecake in. Use a wooden spoon to crack open the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool inside for about 30 minutes.
- After the 30 minutes, close the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the counter, once cool place in fridge for 8 hours before serving.