Crystallized Ginger and Rosemary Cookies

If you are not into baking or cookies in general, but would like to try and bake at least one type of cookie in your life, for all things holly you have GOT to make these! They are out of this world! The base dough is simple (and I repeat simple) sugar cookie dough. However, the addition of crystallized ginger and fresh rosemary elevates these cookies from ho-hum sugar cookie level to worthy of serving at a royal tea party level of sophistication. They are fantastic!

If you only make one type of cookie in your entire life, this has to be IT!

Difficulty level: easy! Taste level: WOW!

Ingredients:
3 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 oz) superfine sugar
2 large egg yolks at room temperature
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
1 cup (6oz) finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup granulated sugar

 

Directions:
Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Begin beating on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, or until very light and smooth.

Add the superfine sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. When all the sugar has been added, beat for 2 minutes.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat for 1 minute.

Mix in half the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Add the milk. When blended, add the remaining flour, the crystallized ginger, and the fresh rosemary and beat to just barely blend.

Remove the dough onto a lightly floured, clean and flat work surface. Lightly flour your hands and finish mixing the dough by using a gentle kneading motion, working until the dough is just blended. Do not overwork the dough.

Form the dough into two disks and cover each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 6-7 days) or until firm. (Dough can also be frozen for up to a month.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Place the granulated sugar on a large plate.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or tablespoon, make mounds of dough. Roll the dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Using your palm, gently flatten each ball to about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each cookie in the granulated sugar to coat completely and place them, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets.

Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just barely brown around the edges (they should still be pale on top).

Remove from the oven and, using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Store, airtight, at room temperature for up to a week.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from "Milk & Cookies" by Tina Casaceli

Chocolate-Orange-Pecan Cookies

Definitely not your run of the mill chocolate chip cookies, these have a complex yet subtle flavor that will appeal to many a chocolate lover. Orange and chocolate flavor combinations are a major hit in my family but this recipe takes matters to a whole new level with the addition of oats and pecans. The depth of the nuttiness plays off wonderfully against the fresh notes of the citrus. Depending on whether you choose to use dark or milk chocolate, these delectable cookies will take on yet another flavor profile, guaranteed to send your taste buds over the moon either way. :) Definitely give these a try! You will be SO glad you did!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tsp pure vanilla extraxt
2 tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur (or 1/2 tsp orange extract)
2 tbsp freshly grated orange zest
2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chunks (your choice of milk or dark chocolate)
1 cup (4 oz) coarsely chopped pecans

 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Process the oats in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Put the butter in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Begin beating on low speed to soften. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 3 more minutes, until light and creamy.

Gradually add the granulated sugar and then the brown sugar, beating until very light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat in the orange zest, vanilla extract and Grand Marnier (or orange extract) and when blended, slowly beat in the reserved dry mixture. Do not overwork the dough, mix until the dough is just blended.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chunks and pecans, mixing until evenly distributed. (You do not want to do this in the mixer, as heavy mixing tends to break up the chocolate and nuts and the baked cookies have an undesirable dry texture.)

Using a small ice-cream scoop (or tablespoon), make mounds of dough about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and set in the center. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven and, using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store, airtight, at room temperature for up to a week.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

 

Recipe adapted from "Milk & Cookies" by Tina Casaceli

Mediterranean Rice Pudding

So, it's winter and it's more than natural that we tend to crave hearty, homey, comforting foods. When I think of all those things, rice pudding is almost one of the first desserts that comes to mind. It always reminds me of my Grandma (who used to make this dessert for me when I was a little girl) and in this sense, it brings a sense of comfort to me in a way that few other sweet treats do. However, since my Grandma died when I was still very young and since she had very few written recipes for the delectable things she cooked and baked (she always eye-balled things when cooking :)), I didn't have her exact recipe to go by. I was determined, though, to get it down right by trial and error. It took me three or four tries and a good deal of experimentation to get to a rice pudding I could really call my own- and that reminds me of my Grandma's rice pudding too. To give homage to my Balkan/Mediterranean origins, I added ingredients that are not traditionally found in rice pudding here, but add wonderful flavor notes of citrus. The end result is a creamy, decadent dessert that is as easy to make as it is hard to resist.

          Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup half-n-half 
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• zest of half an orange
• 2 eggs, beaten  
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  
  Directions:
  Bring rice and water to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  
  Once rice is cooked, add milk, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and orange zest. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
  
  In a mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs and half-n-half. Add 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture to the eggs and stir. Repeat a couple more times. This ensures that the eggs do not scramble once you add them to the hot rice.
  
  Stir in the tempered egg mixture, raisins (if using) and ground cinnamon to the saucepan with the rice. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lemon juice.
  
  
  
  
  

  Recipe adapted from: allrecipes.com 

Vegan Chocolate-Mocha Cake

This chocolate-mocha cake is a twist on the popular cake originated during WW II, known as "wacky cake". It is completely vegan: no eggs, butter, milk, cream, yogurt, or any other animal products and extremely moist, dark and delicious! It is also exceptionally mess-free: everything is mixed in the baking dish in which it is baked, not even a mixing bowl is required. I call this efficient!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cider vinegar
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells in the dry mix- one larger one and two smaller ones. Into one of the small holes pour the vanilla, into the other one- the vinegar, and into the larger one- the oil. Pour coffee over all, and stir with fork until uniformly moist.

Bake on middle rack of oven at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is springy and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry. Frost with your favorite icing (I didn't even do that- it was delicious all on its own!).

Recipe adapted from: wacky cake

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

Not your typical roasted almonds, these have a little kick of chili powder and cayenne pepper and the depth of more cinnamon than most recipes. The spice level with just a 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper is not too much (my 4-year-old daughter can eat them and actually loves them :), so if you are a "heat" lover, fell free to kick  things up a notch in this department. :) On the other hand, if you have more of a sweet tooth, you can certainly increase the amount of both sugars in the recipe to up to 1/2 cup each. And of course, if you fee like it, go ahead and play around with the endless variations of spices and herbs in the mix to suit your personal preferences. These almonds are great on their own as snack, but they are really good with fruit and cheese or tossed on salads. Here, my little artistic 4-year-old daughter arranged them with her favorite apricots and clementines and then enjoyed them as a snack. :)

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups whole almonds
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/2 tsp if you like more heat :))

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan.

Combine egg white and vanilla in large bowl. Beat until frothy. Add almonds and toss to coat. Pour almonds into a mesh strainer to drain excess liquid, 5 to 10 minutes. Return strained almonds to the bowl.

Stir white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over almonds and toss to coat evenly. Spread coated nuts evenly onto prepared jelly roll pan.

Bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes, to avoid burning almonds. Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

Recipe adapted from: Sweet-and-Spicy-Roasted-Almonds

Gingerbread cookies

These gingerbread cookies were the perfect recipe for the holiday season! My kids had fun decorating them and everybody loves getting them as gifts! :)

• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup butter
• 1cup granulated sugar
• 1 ¼ cup unsulphered molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. flavoring extract such as vanilla or orange
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Cream together shortening, butter, and granulated sugar.
2. Add the molasses and eggs and whip until light and fluffy.
3.  Sift all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl then use a measuring cup to add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time.
4. Separate the dough into three equal pieces, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two, or overnight.
5. When ready to take dough out of fridge, preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
6. Roll out on floured parchment paper to about 1/4 an inch thick and cut into desired shapes. Place the cut out cookies into the freezer for ten minutes or so before baking.
7. Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes for small cookies, 8-10 minutes for medium, and 10-15 minutes for large. Let cool, then decorate with vanilla royal icing.
    

Recipe courtesy: sweetsugarbelle.com 

The best sugar cookie recipe!

Anna strikes again! She wanted to make sugar cookies to bring to her MAST class for their Christmas lunch and she had to be able to do it all on her own!! I found a recipe for her that was described in the following way: "Soft cut out sugar cookie recipe that keeps its shape and dough does not need to be chilled before baking- perfect edges every time!" I thought, that is exactly what we are looking for here! Let's go for it. And go for it, she did! She mixed, rolled, and cut out the dough all on her own, and after I helped bake it, she finished the cookies off by decorating them with icing and sprinkles! Thy turned out out-of-this-world delicious and beautiful to boot! My guess is her classmates are going to love her tomorrow. :)))

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla  and almond extracts and eggs until well incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer, either switch from paddle attachment to dough hook or turn out the dough onto a counter top surface, wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
5. Do not chill the dough. (If you must chill the dough just leave it on the counter top for 10 minutes before rolling or work the dough with your hands for a few minutes.) Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
6. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheets until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
7. Frost with you favorite icing. We used water icing on these, as it is very easy to work with. Just mix powdered sugar with very little bit of water and keep adding water a few drops at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Color and ice away! :)

Yield will vary depending on the size of your cookie cut-outs but I would say you should have anywhere between 4 and 6 dozen- the recipe makes a big batch of dough.

Recipe courtesy to Katrina's kitchen: best-sugar-cookie-recipe

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

These peanut butter oatmeal cookies are homey, comforting and simply delicious. They are also a cinch to prepare; in fact, my 9-year-old daughter made them almost on her own. What better way to spend a snowy afternoon than to bake a batch of these, enjoy a few at home and deliver some to your neighbors to spread some good cheer? :) Merry Christmas!

Ingredients:
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (however, I used old-fashioned oats and they worked great)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tps salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add both sugars, beating until smooth, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the oat and flout mixture, a little at a time, until well combined. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks while still warm and cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Makes 6 dozen small cookies.

Recipe courtesy: "All-American Desserts, 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig

Greek Nut and Spice Cake (a.k.a. Karethopita)

Another amazing- and Sweet- dessert from "All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig.
Here is what the author herself says about it: "Also known as karethopita, this moist cake, cut into diamond shapes and served on frilly paper doilies, is an annual hit at Greek festivals around the country. Besides its heritage though, this flavorful cake appeals to the modern cook because it's easy to make, stays moist, and is easily portable to the lake or a country home, where you and your guests can nibble it away during a three-day weekend."

Cake:
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup milk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Sugar Syrup:
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.

To make the cake, in a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the vinegar and the milk and set aside for several minutes to sour. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. With an electric mixer, beat together the oil, sugar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the vanilla and sour milk. Add the dry ingredients gradually, beating well. Beat in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Allot the cake to cool completely in the pan while you make the syrup.

To make the syrup, bring the ingredients to a boil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes. With a wooden skewer, poke random holes halfway through the cake, then pour the hot syrup over the cake. Let the syrup soak into the cake, then cut it into squares or diamond shapes and serve.

Recipe courtesy: "All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig;
All-American-Desserts

Fresh Pear Torta

This delightful Fresh Pear Torta comes from my new favorite dessert cookbook, "All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig. I have made a bunch of recipes from this gem of a book already and they all have been keepers. The Fresh Pear Torta is one of my personal favorites, as it is very easy to make and- as the name suggests- very fresh tasting. Do not omit the lemon zest- it really brings out the fresh pear flavor and makes this dessert "delicately delicious". 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus tablespoon (9 tbsps) unsalted butter, melted
5 or 6 ripe but firm pears, such as Bartlett, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides, tapping out the excess flour, and set aside.
   
2. Pour 1 tbsp of the melted butter into a large skillet over medium heat and cook the pears until softened, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
3.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar into a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of melted butter, the whole eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon zest. With a wooden spoon, stir the mixture into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in the sauteed pears and their juices (if it looks like the juices they released are too much, strain first- you don't want a batter that is too thin). Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
4. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan. Transfer to a cake plate and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
   
   
   

Recipe courtesy: "All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig: All-American Desserts

Quilt Country Pumpkin Brownies

These pumpkin brownies are so easy to make that your 9-year-old daughter can make them on her own! And they are so yummy that your entire family will love them! Even a family who previously hated all things pumpkin! Yes, this is officially the recipe which converted my pumpkin-hating family into pumpkin lovers!

This is what the Judith M. Fertig (author of  "All-American Desserts, 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts") says about these terrific pumpkin brownies:

"Quilters love to gather at a friend's house and work on their latest projects. But usually they don't just bring needlework with them- they also bring a dessert. Like a good quilt pattern, these cake-like brownies, can be modified and adapted to suit your mood or the season. Whether you frost them or leave them plain, these moist and delicious morsels are good nay time of year, but especially in the fall." I couldn't agree more!

Pumpkin Brownies:

• 2 cups Granulated/White Sugar
• 1-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons Salt
• 3/4 cups Canola or Vegetable Oil
• 1 cans (15 Oz. Can) Pumpkin Puree
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten
• 1/2 cups Pecans (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):

• 3-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

To make the brownies, sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the oil and with mixer on low, beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for another minute. Fold in the pecans, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (start checking at 30 minutes as ovens vary). Remove pan from oven. Let the brownies cool in the pan.

To make the frosting, if using, put the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium until light and fluffy. Stir in the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. (I like to put a large kitchen towel on top of my stand mixer while doing this, to avoid a cloud of powdered sugar dust all over my kitchen. :)) Continue beating until the frosting is smooth.

When the brownies have cooled, use a rubber spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting on top, if desired. You can also sprinkle chopped pecans on top before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from my new favorite dessert cookbook, "All American Desserts, 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts" by Judith M. Fertig: All American Desserts

New York Style Cheesecake- Wow!

I love New York Style cheesecake, but I had only heard horror stories of it sinking and cracking while baking, so I never had the courage to make it myself. Until this week. And am I glad I finally gave it a try as it turned out absolutely spectacular! True, I followed all directions closely, to avoid any failures but I was really rewarded for sticking to them. The cheesecake was picture-perfect and amazingly delicious: creamy, light and decadent! I hope you give this awesome recipe a go- it really isn't as challenging as it is usually made to sound.

The most important tips to remember:

• use ingredients at room temperature
• grease bottom and sides of pan to avoid cracking
• do not overbeat
• bake in water bath (read below)
• do not overbake
• allow enough time to cool in oven

Graham cracker crust:

• 1-1/2 packed cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 12 cracker rectangles)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted; plus 1 teaspoon melted butter for the pan

Cheesecake:

• 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• cranberry-cointreau sauce (see below) 
  
  

Set out the ingredients:

At least 4 hours before you begin, set the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream on your kitchen counter because it’s essential that the ingredients be at room temperature before you mix the batter.

Make the crust:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in the 5 Tbs. melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan that’s about 2-1/2 inches deep and press them firmly into the bottom and about halfway up the sides. Bake until the crust is fragrant and warm to the touch, 5 to 7 min.; it’s fine if the crust starts to look golden, but it shouldn’t brown too much. Let the pan cool on a rack while you prepare the cheesecake batter.

Make the cheesecake batter:

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese with the sugar at medium-low speed until the mixture is smooth and somewhat fluffy, about 2 min. Scrape the bowl. On low speed, beat in the flour. One at a time, beat in the eggs on low speed, mixing the batter for only 15 to 20 seconds after each egg is added, just until it’s incorporated, and scraping the bowl each time. Don’t overbeat. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat at low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. The batter should be smooth and have the consistency of a thick milkshake.

Bake the cake in a water bath:

Wrap the outside of the pan tightly with two sheets of extra-wide (18-inch) heavy-duty aluminum foil to make the pan waterproof. Brush the inside rim of the pan with a light coating of the remaining 1 tsp. melted butter, taking care not to disturb the crust.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust; it should cover the crust completely and come to within about 1/2 inch of the pan’s rim. Put the springform pan in a roasting pan and carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake at 350°F, without opening the oven door for the first hour, until the top of the cake is golden brown and doesn’t wobble in the middle when the pan is nudged (a little jiggle is fine), about 1 hour 10 min. to 1 hour 15 min. (The cheesecake will be gooey in the middle; don’t worry, it will set as it cools.)

Let the cake cool:

After turning the oven off, leave cheesecake in the oven and crack oven door a little bit. Let cheesecake rest and gradually cool in the oven for about an hour.
Remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath, remove the foil wrapping (you may need an extra set of hands for this), and set the pan on a wire rack. Run a thin-bladed knife around the inside rim of the pan to free the cheesecake from the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool on the rack until barely warm.
Refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours or overnight. The cheesecake will firm up during chilling.

I also made the Cranberry cointreau sauce but did not serve it on top, as was suggested in the original recipe since there were children at the party. Instead, I served it in a separate dish on the side so the grown-ups could help themselves to it as a garnish. The combination is truly delicious!

Cranberry-cointreau sauce:

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 12-oz. package fresh cranberries, rinsed, dried, and picked over
• 2 Tbs. Cointreau

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, honey, and 3/4 cup water to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cranberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam has turned fuchsia and many of the berries have popped, about 5 min. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the Cointreau. Pour into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours, but preferably overnight. The sauce can be made two days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Serve the cheesecake:

I decorated my cheesecake with small rosettes of whipped cream and cranberries on top of them. You could most certainly leave it plain. It is delicious either way! :)

Run a thin-bladed knife around the inside rim of the pan again—taking care not to disturb the crust—to loosen the chilled cheesecake. Unclasp and remove the side of the springform pan, and then use a wide spatula to transfer the cake to a serving plate.
Right before serving, use a slotted spoon to scoop the cranberries out of the syrup and let them drain briefly before spooning them onto the top of the cake. (Save the leftover syrup for pouring onto vanilla ice cream or mixing with seltzer to make cran-berry spritzers.)
Before slicing, rinse a long, thin-bladed knife under hot water. Wipe the blade between slices and rinse it under hot water again as needed.
Wrapped and refrigerated, the topped cheesecake will keep for a week.

I found this recipe here:  New York Style Cheesecake