Ingredients
Crust:
- 2/3 cup amaretti cookie crumbs (about 16 cookies)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Cooking spray
Filling:
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened and divided
- 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Raspberries (optional)
Preparation
1. To prepare crust, combine first 3 ingredients, tossing with a fork until moist and crumbly. Gently press mixture into bottom of a 7-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.
2. To prepare filling, beat 1 block fat-free cream cheese and 1/3-less-fat cream cheese with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add remaining 1 block fat-free cream cheese; beat until blended. Add 2/3 cup sugar and flour; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in almond extract. Pour batter over crust in pan.
3. Pour 1 cup hot water into bottom of a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Place a rack in slow cooker (rack should be taller than water level). Place pan on rack. Place several layers of paper towels over slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or until center of cheesecake barely moves when pan is touched. Remove lid from slow cooker; turn off heat, and run a knife around outside edge. Let cheesecake stand in slow cooker 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from slow cooker. Cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 6 hours. Cut into wedges. Garnish with raspberries, if desired.
Note:
To prevent the pan from touching the bottom of the slow cooker, you'll need a small rack that fits inside your cooker. If you don't have one, make a ring out of aluminum foil.
Ingredients
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans
4 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
7 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Chocolate Glaze
Garnishes: fresh mint sprigs, sliced strawberries
Preparation
Sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans evenly over the bottom of each of 2 greased and floured 9-inch springform pans.
Microwave chocolate squares in a microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth.
Beat butter and 2 cups sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.
Add flour, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and chocolate morsels. Divide batter evenly between pans, spreading over chopped pecans.
Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 1 3/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add 7 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide cream cheese mixture evenly between each pan, spreading over brownie batter.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool completely on wire racks.
Spread top of each cooled cheesecake with 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze; cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pans before serving. Garnish, if desired.
Note:
We topped each cheesecake with 1 full recipe of Chocolate Glaze. For a thinner layer of chocolate on top, divide 1 recipe of glaze between the two cakes.
