Gluten Free Swirled Blackberry Cheesecake

Over the years, I’ve done my fair share of searches for gluten free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes and usually come up short handed. I’ve now learned and hope to share with you regular recipes that I’ve adapted to be gluten free and produce quality products that please even a non-gluten free eater. I look forward to opportunities to experiment on items that are rarely if ever available in a gluten free form. Here I’ll introduce you to one of those coveted products, the cheesecake! Cheesecakes by nature are composed of a typically gluten free cheesy portion atop a gluten filled crust. Rarely are chain restaurants or bakeries able to produce a gluten free cheesecake option either omitting the crust altogether or creating a gluten free crust base. I’m here to introduce you to my version of a gluten free cheesecake that is both delicious and simple to produce!

While grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a wonderful new product, Mi-Del Gluten Free Pie Crusts coming in chocolate, ginger snap, and graham flavors. I was so excited to take advantage of this new product at only $3.49 (I was lucky enough to purchase it on sale as it’s normally $3.99, still not bad). Although it’s a simple cookie crust that isn’t terribly difficult to put together, its modest cost and convenience persuaded me to try it out and I had just the recipe in mind to do so. With the purchase of the chocolate pie crust and a few other items, as well as Driscoll’s base recipe obtained from their website I’m presenting the Gluten Free Swirled Blackberry Cheesecake!

Note: This recipe makes two cheesecakes using the Mi-Del Gluten Free 9 inch pie crusts. If you’d like to just make one, half all ingredients.

Ingredients for Filling:

• 2 cups Driscoll’s Blackberries, divided
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract for blackberry filling (McCormick)
• 1 cup sugar for cheesecake and 2 tsp sugar for blackberry filling
• 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese (I use store brand 1/3 less fat Neufchatel Cheese) TIP: Keep cream cheese at room temperature for a little while before making cheesecake or soften in microwave before use as it will mix much better if softer.
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract for cheesecake
• 3 large eggs
•  1/2 cup sour cream (I use light Daisy sour cream)

Crust: 2 Mi-Del Gluten Free Chocolate Snap Pie Crusts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Puree 1 cup blackberries in a blender, chopper, or food processor and strain out seeds (discard seeds) leaving about 1/3 cup puree.
• Add 1 tbsp vanilla and 2 tsp sugar to puree, mix, and set aside.
• With an electric mixer, combine 3 packages cream cheese and remaining 1 cup sugar at low speed until blended.
• Add 1 tsp vanilla extract to cheesecake mixture.
• Add 3 eggs, one at a time on low speed.
• Add 1/2 cup sour cream and mix until combined.
• Total volume of batter is enough for two pie crusts so divide into two portions.
• Spoon half of the first portion into the first pie crust.
• By teaspoonful, add single spoonfuls of blackberry puree to the filling and swirl around with a toothpick, repeat until half of the puree mixture has been added to the first cheesecake.
• Add remaining cheesecake filling and blackberry puree to second pie crust and repeat the swirling instruction.
• Both pie crusts should be filled to just below or even with the top of the crust.
• Bake on the same rack for about 50-60 minutes or until edges are just set and center jiggles slightly.
• Turn oven off, prop door ajar with the handle of a wooden spoon, and let cheesecakes cool in oven for about 1 hour.
• Remove from oven, cool completely, and place in the refrigerator until cold all the way through. (I refrigerated overnight but if you bake in the morning, these should be cold by dinner time.)

• You can garnish cheesecakes with remaining blackberries when serving or just enjoy them while baking.

My dear husband has become such a trooper through these past few gluten free years and has become my taster dummy for many of my gluten free concoctions. I knew this cheesecake would definitely be a hit and sure enough he fell in love with this recipe, even with the gluten missing. The cheesecake is incredibly creamy and has just the right amount of sweetness swirled inside of it thanks to the blackberries! And the chocolaty crust, I cannot say enough good things about this one; both the flavor and texture of this crust were the perfect base, complimenting the cheesecake beautifully. I’ll definitely be repeating this recipe for years to come, even making a gluten free cheesecake for myself and a regular cheesecake for my gluten eaters!

Sincerely

Lindsay