Ok, I have a confession to make…drum roll please…I have never made a cheesecake before. In all of my years of baking, I have never attempted this revered treat. I guess it was all of the horror stories I’ve heard about fallen cheesecakes, soggy cheesecakes, shrunken cheesecakes, dry cheesecakes, lumpy cheesecakes, and cracked and split cheesecakes. With a laundry list of problems, you can’t blame me for putting it off for so long.

And here’s my second confession…I don’t really like cheesecake. I know, I know, oh, the horror!, how could you?!, and all that jazz. But really, most cheesecakes that I’ve tried are too sweet, too rich, too dense.

But this one is different. This one caught me by surprise, not only by how easy it was to make, but by how good it was. I loved the chocolate cookie crust – a welcome change from graham cracker. The raspberry sauce was still just tart enough to outweigh the sweetness of the cheesecake. And the cheesecake itself was just perfect – light and airy (well, as light and airy as a cheesecake can get!) and not too rich.

This discovery was completely accidental, of course. After trying to figure out how to use up my cream cheese mush from the Hummingbird Cake I made last week, I reluctantly decided that maybe it was time that I tried my hand at cheesecake. I randomly picked one from Allrecipes.com and the rest is history.

Hubby still doesn’t understand how I can spend $15 on extra ingredients so that I can make a recipe that will use up my extra cream cheese I bought on sale for $1 a block. But he learned awhile ago not to try to follow female logic. (Although it does make sense, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?!?)

Regardless, we headed to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. The chocolate cookies proved to be a challenge. The recipe called for 1 cup of chocolate cookie crumbs. I knew just the kind I wanted – the large, thin Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers my mother-in-law uses to make Icebox Cake, one of Hubby’s favorites. We split up and checked the snack aisle with the cookies and chips, the baking aisle with the special ingredients, and the bakery/deli/fancy food section to no avail. I was getting desperate.

But then – an idea! We called my mother-in-law who revealed the cookies’ hiding place – with the ice-cream toppings. That would have been about the last place I would have looked. Now, they are a little pricey – almost $6 for the box, but they do make a world of difference. Seriously, if you haven’t tried them yet, you need to go n your own scavenger hunt today. I have seen a homemade version on Smitten Kitchen’s blog, but haven’t tried them yet.

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

Adapted from Julie on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Butter the sides of a 9-inch springform pan (to help prevent cracking). Press the chocolate cookie mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap 2 layers of foil onto the bottom of the pan (this is to prevent leakage when we set the pan into a waterbath during baking).

In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. (If you run your finger over the back of a coated spoon, it shouldn’t drip). Strain through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the vanilla and the melted white chocolate mixture.

Pour half of the batter over the crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over the batter. Pour the remaining batter, then spoon another 3 tablespoons of the sauce over the batter. Swirl with the tip of a knife to marble.

Place the cake in a water bath. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until the filling is set (note, that the very center of the cheesecake should still be a little jiggly). Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in for at least another hour! After the cheesecake is cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.