Our family loves cheesecake and we love apple pie. So way back when, my mom, Jo—who tends to be piecrust challenged—decided to do away with the frustration of a rolled pie dough and combined her cheesecake acumen with apples to create the simplest and most delicious winner. Try it—it will impress your friends and your taste buds!!
CRUST
- 1 cup flour (substitute almond meal for gluten-free version)
- 1⁄3 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 stick butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs at room temperature
APPLES
- 2 large tart apples such as Rhode Island Greenings, peeled, cored and sliced
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄3 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine flour, sugar, vanilla in a bowl and then cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press into bottom and up about 1 inch up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes; cool to room temperature. Increase oven temperature to 450°. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Spoon mixture into crust.
Mix apples sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Spoon over cream cheese mixture and then sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350° and bake another 45 minutes, until your tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack and then carefully remove sides of springform pan. When completely cool, turn upsidedown, remove bottom of pan, place plate on top and flip over. And ENJOY !!!
