Vanilla Chai Cheesecake Recipe~a must-try

by Emily Wasouf
((Ohio))

Vanilla Chai Cheesecake recipe - a
must-try!

Crust:

1 1/2 cups Nilla wafers, pulverized

3 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tbsp sugar

Cheesecake:

1 cup Oregon Chai Original concentrate

2 tsp vanilla

3 8-oz packages regular cream cheese, room temperature

3 large eggs, room temperature and loosely beaten.

3/4 cup sugar

1 heaping tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Simmer 1 cup Chai concentrate until reduced to 1/2 cup. Cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together crust ingredients. Press well into the bottom of a greased 9-inch spring form pan. Bake for 12 minutes. When you take pan out of the oven, reduce heat to 290 degrees.

Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Add chai reduction and vanilla, blend just until smooth, scraping down sides as you go. Add sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Taste to adjust flavors, but be aware that spices will intensify in the oven. Add eggs, stir by hand until just incorporated. Pour into spring form pan, sprinkle a little cardamom on top.

Put a baking dish with 1 inch water in the bottom of your oven. Cook cheesecake on middle rack for 55 minutes. Turn off oven, just barely crack oven door until steam stops coming out (30 seconds or so). Close it back up and let it go for another 55 minutes.

Take out of oven, slide knife around the edges of the pan to release cake and allow for contraction while cooling. Place on a cooling rack and cover with a large bowl. Let cool until it's room temperature, then move to refrigerator. When cold, you can freeze it for longer storage.