Very Vanilla Slow Cooker Cheesecake Food

SLOW-COOKER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 6" springform pan and wrap tightly with two layers of foil. In a 6-quart slow cooker, pour 1" water. Create a foil circle and place inside slow cooker as a rack.
• Make crust: In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Press into greased pan and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, flour, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and beat until combined.
• Pour filling over crust. Top slow cooker with three layers of paper towels and lid.
• Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn off heat and let stand 1 hour.
• Remove cheesecake from slow-cooker and remove foil from pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

VERY VANILLA SLOW-COOKER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 6-in. springform pan; place on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan., Pour 1 in. water into a 6-qt. slow cooker. Layer two 24-in. pieces of foil. Starting with a long side, roll up foil to make a 1-in.-wide strip; shape into a circle. Place in bottom of slow cooker to make a rack., In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and about 1 in. up sides of prepared pan., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust., Place springform pan on foil circle without touching slow cooker sides. Cover slow cooker with a double layer of white paper towels; place lid securely over towels. Cook, covered, on high 2 hours., Do not remove lid; turn off slow cooker and let cheesecake stand, covered, in slow cooker 1 hour., Remove springform pan from slow cooker; remove foil around pan. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 1 hour longer. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., For topping, in a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Remove rim from springform pan. Pour chocolate mixture over cheesecake; sprinkle with miniature peanut butter cups or almonds.

PRESSURE COOKER VERY VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 6-in. springform pan; pour water into a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. , Mix cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and about 1 in. up sides of prepared pan., In another bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust., Cover cheesecake tightly with foil. Place springform pan on a trivet with handles; lower into cooker. Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on low for 1 hour and 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release the pressure. The cheesecake should be jiggly but set in center., Remove springform pan from pressure cooker; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 1 hour. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., For topping, melt chocolate and cream in a microwave; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Remove rim from springform pan. Pour chocolate mixture over cheesecake. If desired, sprinkle with berries to serve.

THE BEST VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Split 1 vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of your knife; place in a bowl. Repeat with second vanilla bean, placing seeds in a separate bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 white sugar together in a bowl. Press over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Combine 2 packages cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup white sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl; mix until sugar is dissolved. Add seeds from 1 vanilla bean, softened butter, and vanilla extract; blend until smooth. Pour over graham cracker crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is a light tan color, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 to 2 hours.
• Beat 2 cups heavy cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until cream is stiff. Place in the refrigerator.
• Melt white chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.
• Beat 1 package cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in white chocolate until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over the cooled cheesecake. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Beat 1 cup heavy cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in seeds from the second vanilla bean and 1 1/2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 day.

SLOW-COOKER BROWN SUGAR CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Loosely roll a large piece of aluminum foil (about 20-inches long) into a 1-inch cylinder. Form a ring with the foil, about 7 inches in diameter. Fill a 6-quart slow cooker with 1/2 inch of water and place the foil ring in the bottom.
• Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Add 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and pulse to combine; the mixture should look like wet sand. Brush the inside of an 8-inch springform pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan, and one-third of the way up the sides. Use the bottom of a round drinking glass to help press the crumb mixture into the pan.
• Wipe out the food processor, then add the cream cheese, 1 cup of the brown sugar, the sour cream, vanilla and salt, and blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, pulsing until smooth and uniform. Pour the filling into the crust.
• Gently place the cheesecake on the foil ring in the slow cooker. Drape a double layer of paper towels over the opening of the slow cooker and place the lid over the paper towels (the ends of the paper towels should come out from under the lid). Cook on low heat until the cheesecake is just set, but still jiggles slightly when the pan is moved, 4 hours.
• Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Wipe out the inside of the lid and replace the paper towels with new paper towels, and cover the slow cooker again. Cool the cake in the slow cooker, 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove the cheesecake, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
• One hour before serving, place the peaches in a mixing bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Toss to combine and macerate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Run a small knife around the edge of the cheesecake and remove the outer ring of the pan. Spoon the peaches, along with any of the juices, over the cheesecake to serve.

SLOW COOKER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Puree ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Scraping down the sides. Add the sugar and puree for approximately 1 minute so that it is not grainy. Add the eggs, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Puree until smooth and combined.
• Place a small bowl in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker and place a small plate on top of the bowl. Place pie crust on top of the plate and pour the filling into the pie crust. Place 4 paper towels over the top of slow cooker bowl making sure not to let the towels touch the top of the cheesecake. Secure with lid and cook on high setting for 1 1/2 hours, or until set. Remove from slow cooker and let sit for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled.
• In a small pot whisk together the reserved peach juice, orange juice, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Stir in the chopped peaches and heat over medium heat. Cook until liquid thickens about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm over a slice of cheesecake.
• Oven Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the pie crust into a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to accommodate the pie tin. Pour the filling into the crust. Add about 1-inch of warm water into the bottom of the baking dish and cover with foil. Using a skewer, pierce about 12 holes into the foil to allow steam to vent. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until cheesecake set. Remove cheesecake from water bath and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until chilled.