Tart cherries, crushed almonds, a hint of vanilla, all in a creamy rich cheesecake.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no good at baking. Baking is an art. And I have the hands of an oaf. It requires finesse and patience, two things I generally lack in the kitchen. But I love cheesecake. Besides pie, it’s probably my favorite dessert. It’s typically not as sweet as other traditional desserts, and cheesecakes often have a certain subtle tartness to them. And speaking of tartness — I love tart cherries. So naturally, I added them to this recipe. In fact, it’s really the same flavor profile of vanilla, almond, and tart cherries that I used in my sour cherry gallette.
The only note I have on this recipe is to probably let it sit in the fridge for an extended amount of time, around 3-4 hours, to let both the filling and crust set.
Time You Need
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Baking: ~30 minutes
- Optional resting time: ~3 hours
What You Need
- For the crust:
- 8 whole graham crackers, crushed to a fine powder
- 1 cup of sliced almonds, crushed or blended to a powder
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 9-inch pie pan
- For the filling:
- 2 cups cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups of frozen unsweetened Montmorency tart cherries, finely chopped
What You Do
- For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Form the crust by combining all crust ingredients and mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Then lightly grease your pie pan with baking spray and gently press pie crust crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a thicker layer along the bottom, and a slightly thinner layer along the sides.
- Let crust chill in the fridge while working on the filling/.
- For the filling:
- For the filling, start by taking room-temp cream cheese and mixing with sugar and honey until smooth. Then add in eggs, vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. If using an electric mixer, use on the lowest setting to avoid any air bubbles.
- Pour the filling into the crust. Then gently spoon in chopped cherries, evenly distributing them throughout the filling.
- Place the pie pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and place strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the crust (to prevent them from burning) then bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cheesecake cool. Once cool, cover and let the cheesecake sit in the fridge until ready to serve.