Name: Ricotta Amaretto Cheese Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 1 sleeve short bread cookies (about 7 oz or 1 cup of crumbs); 2 Tbsps sugar; 2 Tbsps cold unsalted butter; 1 lb ricotta cheese (room temperature); 1/3 cup sugar; 3 Tbsps flour; 2 tsps lemon juice; 3 eggs (room temperature); 2 Tbsps amaretto liqueur ((Sub 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp cinnamon if not using liqueur)); 1 cup crushed strawberries (+ about 8 more for garnish (about 1 lb in total)); 1/4 cup sugar; 4 1/2 tsps corn starch; 1/4 cup amaretto

Ingredients & Substitutions

Ricotta- You will need 1 lb. Light or regular both work.

Liqueur - the recipe calls for Amaretto. You can substitute vanilla extract if you like. Or use your favourite liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.

Strawberries- fresh are recommended. You could use frozen, but you may not be able to garnish with the softer frozen berries.

How To Make It

As written, the recipe makes about 16 squares in an 8" square pan. You can easily double the recipe and use a 9 X 13" pan if you like. You may have to adjust the bake time slightly for the cheesecake in a larger pan. A knife should come out clean from the center of the pan. Center may be a bit jiggly but not runny.

First, you will make the base and bake about 15 minutes.

Next, you will make the cheesecake layer and bake a further 45 minutes.

Let the cheesecake cool completely before making the Strawberry glaze. This rereigerates well, so you could make the cheesecake the day before you plan to serve it.