Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake recipe

September 9, 3:32 PMBirmingham Baking ExaminerAnne-Harris Jones

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I ate one of my most memorable desserts at a restaurant in Opelika, Alabama. The pastry chef at Café One Twenty Three brought out a sampler of his cheesecakes, and I absolutely fell in love with the Gala Apple Cheesecake he had made that morning. The chef told me his secret was baking the apples in the oven and then pureeing them before adding them to the cheesecake batter. He wouldn’t tell me his “secret ingredient,” but I think I came up with a pretty good recipe that will at least satisfy my need for that Apple Cheesecake.  I definitely recommend dining at Café One Two Three in Opelika if you are ever in the area. It is a delightful and classy gourmet restaurant in a small town.

¼ cup water
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut up into small pieces
4-5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I would recommend Gala or Fuji)
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
12 ounces ginger snap cookies
1/3 cup butter
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients and spread over the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
2. Roast the apples for 30-40 minutes or until very soft. Stir the mixture to coat the apples once or twice during the cooking.
3. Use a food processor or blender to puree the apples. Stir in ½ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
4. Place cookies in a food processor and process. Mix the cookie crumbs with the butter. Press the mixture into a 9 inch springform pan.
5. Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer until creamy and slowly add sugar. Mix until combined.
6. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
7. Spoon applesauce into the cream cheese mixture. Stir until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
8. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door and allow cheesecake to cool slowly for 30 minutes. Then move cake to the kitchen counter and allow it to come to room temperature. Chill for 5 to 8 hours before serving.