My baking process usually begins with an idea. I get inspired by some flavor profile and then I search for recipes that eventually bring it all together. Around the holidays, I take the opportunity to try out or create some new concoction that fits the season. And this year was no different. I often sneak in a little liquor into my baking – such as Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Cream frosting (perfect for St. Patrick’s Day).

This year, I was determined to build a cheesecake that had a ginger cookie crust and some kind of bourbon caramel sauce. I felt like the flavors would complement each other and be special enough to finish out our holiday dinner. I found a “Vanilla Supreme Cheesecake” in one of my cookbooks I Love Cheesecake by Mary Crownover and a Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce from Martha Stewart. I modified the crust suggested by Crownover substituting a box of Triple Ginger Thin Cookies from Trader Joe’s.

The process of pulling everything together was time intensive – it takes about 45 minutes to make the caramel sauce and the cheesecake is a multi-hour process. All need to be done the day before you plan on serving. For me, all of that time was worth it because of the outstanding result.

One hiccup was finding the Vanilla Kahlúa which (oddly) was not in the same section as the regular Kahlúa in the liquor aisle at my grocery store. You could also substitute any other vanilla liqueur, but given the sipability of the Vanilla Kahlúa, I’m convinced I made just the right choice.

The result was exceptionally decadent – very rich, sweet, and packed with vanilla flavor.

You could easily skip the caramel sauce to cut down on the sweetness and serve with berries or an orange sauce which would add a bit of tang for balance. Martha’s recipe left me with 2 cups of caramel sauce which was a lot. I poured over some freshly popped plain popcorn and I would also use it as an ice cream topping or mix-in which would be wonderful, perhaps with some praline pecans.

the Caramel

Martha’s caramel recipe is pretty easy to follow and largely foolproof. As a bonus, you don’t need a candy thermometer. It takes about 45 minutes to cook and should be made the day before to allow for proper cooling. I’ve added a couple of notes to her instructions that I felt were left out of the original.

Have all your ingredients measured out before you start. It all comes together quite quickly, so being prepped and ready before you light the stove will save you a potential headache.

Start by combining the sugar and ½ a cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Give it a quick stir before turning on the burner, but from then on, just swirl the pan periodically while it cooks. There is no stirring until you add the next ingredients. Cook until the mixture turns dark amber in color which will take 20 minutes or so.

For me, I noticed a good deal of crystallization in the pan and it wasn’t until later that I understood that was the need for the swirling. Once the sugar mixture starts to turn this beautiful dark amber color, the crystallized sugar fell back into the pan. I imagine that if I had attended things better and swirled more frequently, this wouldn’t have happened. Once it fell in I very gently poked at the pieces until incorporated and all was well.

Reducing the heat to low, you need to SLOWLY add the cream and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Scrape the vanilla seeds or paste into the pan, and add the pod (if using). Then add the lemon juice, butter and bourbon. Stirring it all together until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth.

When they say to pour the cream in slowly, they mean it. It will bubble up quickly and if you pour it all in at once the mixture is likely to boil over. So just be patient and stir as you go.

That’s it. Two main steps and you’re done. Pour the caramel sauce into a glass jar or bowl, cover it ad store in the fridge for up to a week.

When you’re ready to use it, just bring it up to room temperature or warm it over low heat before serving. You can also warm it in a microwave-safe container for 10-15 seconds at a time until it’s at the right temperature. Because it’s mostly all sugar, it heats quickly and will burn if you’re not careful (15 seconds should do it).

The Cheesecake

Crownover’s recipe calls for crushed vanilla sandwich cookies (about 18 of them with their fillings). I substituted a 9 ounce box of Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Thin Cookies but you can really use any cookie or graham cracker you particularly enjoy. The cookie crust comes together with about 5 tablespoons of butter.

Set out all your ingredients and allow them to come to room temperature before starting.

Crushing the cookies can be done with a ziploc type bag and a rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor. The food processor, though, will make sure the crumbs are uniform and they’re ready in a snap.

In a small bowl – or in your food processor – add 5 tablespoons melted butter.

Press the crust into a greased 9″ springform pan. You can improvise here and use any pan you have. I recommend lining any non-springform pan with parchment paper to create “handles” which will allow for easy removal once the cheesecake is cooled if you don’t use a cheesecake pan.

I baked my cookie crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees to let things set up before starting on mixing the cheesecake filling, but this step is optional. I like to push the crust up the sides, but you could just press it into the bottom for a thicker crust. It’s entirely personal preference.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cream, and cornstarch with an electric mixer until it’s smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

Stir in the extracts and the Kahlúa liqueur and mix well.

I should note here that I had to double check the measurements on this step. Yes, it’s ¼ cup of vanilla extract and ¼ cup of vanilla liqueur with a tiny (by comparison) ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.

This is where the filling goes into the crust and the baking process begins.

You’re going to cook this for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then lower the temp to 200 and cook for 2 hours. If it all looks set up correctly, turn the oven off, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan and put it back in the oven for another 2 hours while it cools.

That’s 4 hours and 15 minutes of cooking time.

I took the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool completely before covering it with plastic wrap and chilling it overnight. I served it directly from the fridge but you could allow it to sit at room temperature a bit if that’s your preference. I spooned out a little of the caramel sauce into a small microwave safe bowl and heated it for about 15 seconds before pouring it over the cheesecake.

My husband, who generally shies from anything too sweet enjoyed it but also said that next time he might have a small glass of milk with it to cut the richness. For me, it was perfect and a total keeper. It was just as good without the caramel, so feel free to omit it and just go with the simple cheesecake, it’s exceptionally creamy and filled with vanilla flavor.

A quick note on storage. Just being the two of us, this is way to much cheesecake to eat over the course of just a few days. I put two additional slices on a small plate, covered it in plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge so we could have it again in a couple of days. I cut the remaining slices and set them upright on a small cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer overnight. The next morning I wrapped each frozen piece individually in plastic wrap and then put them zipper bag. They should keep for a month or two and when serving I can take them out, unwrap, place them on a plate, and let them sit at room temp for 30 min to an hour, or in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

Bon Appétit!

Decadent Vanilla Cheesecake with Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 5 hrs

Course Dessert

Servings 12 slices

Equipment

Food Processor, 9" springform pan

Ingredients

Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce (Martha Stewart)

½ cup water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp bourbon
1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Vanilla Cheesecake (adapted from Mary Crownover)

1¾ cups crushed ginger cookies
4-5 tbsp unsalted butter
32 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
¼ cup whipping cream
3 tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs
¼ cup vanilla extract this is not a typo - it's ¼ cup
¼ tsp almond extract
¼ cup Kahlúa Vanilla (or other vanilla liqueur, like Tuaca)

Instructions

Make the Caramel: Combine the sugar and water in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Without stirring, cook the mixture until dark amber in color. Swirling the pan carefully while cooking, about 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low. Slowly (to prevent boil over) add the cream, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the pod (or add the vanilla paste/extract). Add the lemon juice, bourbon, and butter. Stir to combine.
Cover and store (refrigerated) up to one week. Bring the sauce to room temperature or warm over low heat before using.
Crush cookies to make crumbs. Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add butter, mix well. Press the cookies into the bottom of a greased 9-inch cheesecake (springform) pan. Bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes if desired. Set aside.
Have all the cheesecake ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, cream, and cornstarch with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and vanilla liqueur. Pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes
REDUCE THE HEAT TO 200°F and bake for 2 hours, or until the center is firm and no longer wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Then turn the oven off, return the cake to the oven for another 2 hours. Remove the cheesecake, let cool on the counter, then chill overnight.