Christmas baking, Part 1

Today's post is all about the holiday baking. Or partly about it. Because there will be much more baking!

A few days ago I made a cheesecake. I love cheesecake. I'm not a big cake fan [with a few exceptions], but I will go for cheesecake all the time. That being said, I like cheesecakes that are richer in flavor, and not just sweet. Bakerella's Plain Jane cheesecake recipe is excellent. Just fantastic. I highly recommend it, especially if you've never made cheesecake before!

Now, sometimes I make my own crust, as the recipe calls for, but I wanted an Oreo crust this time, and just didn't feel like making it. So if you use store-bought crusts then you actually get multiple cheesecakes out of the recipe. At least 2 if you're using typically-sized store graham cracker crusts.

I like to divide this recipe in half anyways because then I can make 2 different kinds of cheesecake! Flavors I've made: raspberry, Kona coffee, and now...Butterfinger! My boyfriend loves Butterfingers, so I bought a whole bunch of them, crushed them with a hammer, and then folded them into the batter at the very end. I also slightly increased the amount of lemon juice in the recipe to counter any extra sweetness by adding the candy, but you of course don't have to do that.

I didn't have a 2nd crust, so I just poured the leftover batter into a springform pan and it bakes just fine. And a couple days after I made it [cheesecake tastes better the longer you wait to eat it, by the way. something with the flavors aging and combining], Stephen and I got spoons out and just dug at it in the pan. 

It was a true 'Friends' moment. Watch and enjoy, and then go make yourself some cheesecake! You'll totally thank me :)