Pistachio Cheescake

Still looking for a fabulous dessert for the upcoming holiday?  This may be it.  It is rich, creamy and absolutely divine.  Original recipe can be found here.  I changed up the crust, but the filling is the same in my version.  Yum.

Pistachio Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1.5 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (approx. 1 sleeve, crushed)

1/3 Cup Sugar

4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

Filling:

20 Oz. Cream Cheese, Softened

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract

4 Eggs

1 (3.4-oz.) Pkg. Instant Pistachio Pudding and Pie Filling Mix

1 (12-oz.) Pkg. (2 cups) White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup chopped shelled pistachios (optional) - I did not use them

Topping:

Whipped Cream, for serving

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, combine the graham crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar and butter in a bowl.  Once well combined, press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 1 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  As well, once removed from the oven - decrease the oven temp to 325 degrees.

Step 2:  For the filling, in the bowl of a mixer - combine the cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar.  Beat until well combined.  Next, add the almond extract and sour cream.  Beat until smooth.  Now, add the eggs one at a time.  Continue to mix until the egg is well blended into the batter before adding the next egg.  Once all eggs are added, add the pistachio pudding dry mix and continue to mix until well combined.  Then, add in the white chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Step 3:  Wrap the springform pan in tinfoil (this will prevent leaking as well as help the cake to bake evenly).  Pour the batter into the pan and top with pistachios if using.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes (until sides of cheesecake are set and slightly puffed but center still moves slightly when pan is tapped).  Once removed from the oven, remove discard the tinfoil and cool the cheesecake in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Step 4:  To serve, remove from pan by running a butter knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan.  Removes the sides of pan, slice and serve with whipped cream on top.

Enjoy!!