Joanna Gaines classic cheesecake inspired

I have not met anyone that did not like Joanna Gaines, in fact everyone I talk to is as obsessed as me! She is beautiful, down to Earth and this woman can cook! When I purchased her cookbook I knew that I wanted to try and make every single recipe in there.

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Cheesecake is something that is so controversial, you can enjoy it plain, add some berries or stick to a chocolate topping. I decided to try this recipe (obviously knowing that I would like it) but I did have to substitute one ingredient.

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Joanna Gaines Cheesecake

Graham cracker crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large cowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir to blend, stir in the melted butter until combined.

3. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.

4. Bake until firm, about 8 minutes. Let it cool completely before filling.

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

2. Double-wrap the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with foil to keep water from seeping into the pan. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan and halfway up the sides.

3. Bake the crust until golden brown. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and cornstarch ( I did not have corn starch, so I used all purpose flour) Mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, lemon juice ( I used 1 drop lemon essential oil) and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

5. Pour the filling into the baked crust.

6. Place the cheesecake in a baking pan that is larger than the springform pan and carefully fill the pan with about three-quarters full with hot water. I ended up doing a little less of hot water.

7. Bake the cheesecake until the center only slightly jiggles, approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.

8. When the cheesecake comes out of the oven, remove it from the water bath and place on a wire rack. Carefully run a thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake to release it from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for at least one hour. I let it cool and then stuck it in the freezer because I am impatient!

• 3-8 oz blocks of cream cheese at room temperature

• 1/2 cup of sugar

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp corn starch (Jo tip: instead of corn starch double using all purpose flour)

• 3 large eggs

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used 1 drop lemon essential oil)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream ( I did not have HC so I used the same amount of Half and Half)

Berry Compote

This is my own recipe that I came up with. I hope that you try it and enjoy it!

• 1 1/2 cups frozen berries

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp flavored strawberry gelatin (or use unflavored if you want less sweetness)

Combine all ingredients into a small sauce pan and cook down until berries have released sugars to make a syrup. Low and slow is best. I added this mixture to the cheesecake once it was completely cool.