Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Did you go to preschool? I definitely went to preschool. I went to Mrs. McPeak’s preschool. Do you know what I remember about preschool? I remember Mr. McPeak coming by during snack time every day to give Mrs. McPeak a smooch, sending the class of 4 year olds into a roar of disgust, squirming, and “BOO-ing”. But besides those kisses, I remember eating oatmeal cookies. No, not the kind of oatmeal cookies your grandmother makes that are soft and chewy, but the kind that comes wrapped in a see-through plastic carton. The kind that are so hard you could lose a baby tooth (or possibly expensive dental work), the kind that the “icing” was more reflective than a mirror. That’s what I think of when I think of preschool.

Why do you care about my preschool memories? You probably don’t, and that’s okay. BUT, the reason I brought up those weird oatmeal cookies is because I secretly still love them. I see a ton people make cheesecake crusts with graham crackers and oreos (duh) and people trying to step it up with ginger snaps, but I thought to myself… I want oatmeal cookies. I know you can’t grind up soft baked oatmeal cookies so I thought to myself… what about those hard weird oatmeal cookies from preschool? So I went with it. I was surfing the web to bake something, because frankly I’ve been falling off. I’ve been so busy that I’ve been neglecting this blog like whoa. In the midst of drooling over all of the delicious fall inspired recipes I saw this Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust? Uh. Yes please.

Oatmeal Crust:
-14 oz Oatmeal Cookies (they come in 16 oz packages, I don't feel as though I need to tell you what to do with the extra 2 ounces)
-2 tablespoons brown sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
-pinch of salt
-6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Spiced Cheesecake Filling:
-32 oz cream cheese, at room temp.
-1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
-4 large eggs, at room temp.
-3/4 c heavy cream
-1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Apple Topping:
-1/4 cup unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons all purpose flour
-3/4 c apple cider
-1/4 c granulated white sugar
-1/4 c brown sugar
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-juice of 1/2 large lemon
-2 Granny Smith apples, skins removed and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 F and gather 9 inch springform pan (I put a parchment round in the bottom, but hey, that's just me).

For the crust:
1.) Combine all ingredients for crust and combine with fork. Dump moistened crumbs into pan and flatten to form crust on the bottom and up the sides as high up as possible.
2.) Place into oven for around 7 minutes to ensure a crispy bottom.
3.) After 7 minutes pull out and allow to cool in the freezer while you begin to make the filling.
4.) Turn oven down to 300 F and fill a deep baking dish with water. Place baking dish in the bottom of oven. This will keep your cheesecake from cracking.

To make the cinnamon cheesecake:
1.) In the bowl of your mixer use the paddle attachment, and combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat on high until light and fluffy.
2.) Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg.
3.) Add heavy cream, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla; combine until
thoroughly incorporated.
4.) Pour the heavenly batter into prepared crust. Bake at 300 F for an hour, or until set. The edges will will start to brown, and the center will still have some jiggle to it.
5.) Allow to cool for a few hours.

For the apple topping:
1.) Mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2.) In another bowl, sprinkle peeled and thinly sliced apples with the juice of ½ lemon and toss.
3.) Melt butter over medium heat; whisk in flour.
4.) Slowly whisk in the apple cider followed by the sugar and spice mixture.
5.) Add in the apples and cook until slightly tender for about six minutes, continuously stirring. The sauce will have thickened and the apples will be tender.
6.) Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.
7.) Let the apple topping cool completely before arranging apples on top of cheesecake.
8.) Chill for at least one hour. Enjoy!!!