Definitely-Not-Low-Cal White Chocolate Cheesecake

I wouldn’t exactly call this a Thanksgiving tradition, but I only make this for large groups as it is very rich.

A small piece goes a long way, and it is awesome with coffee.

I use a graham cracker crust to cut the sweetness, but it can be done with almond flour if you have the time. It’s actually very little work—most of the time is spent setting up in the freezer.

There is plenty of room to play with this recipe. Don’t like macadamia nuts? Use hazelnuts or even cashews for a buttery effect. For Christmas, throw some peppermint into the chocolate for a contrast.

I’ve had people hug me because it was so good, and then curse me for killing their diet.

Ingredients

Ganache:

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Filling:

6 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus 3/4 cup, whipped soft
6 1/2 oz premium white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2/3 cup roasted, chopped macadamia nuts
1 pre-baked deep-dish (9-inch) pie shell

Garnish:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 ounces chopped macadamia nuts

Directions

Garnish:

Place chocolate chips in a metal mixing bowl. Bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Pour simmering cream over chips and stir until melted. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Filling:

Beat cream cheese and sugar with a handheld electric mixer until smooth. Scrape bowl with a spatula and mix in 1/3 cup heavy cream. Add the melted white chocolate, zest, and nuts and stir just until incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread into pre-baked pie shell and level off using a rubber spatula. Put in freezer until frozen.

To finish pie, place the ganache in the microwave on low for no more than 10 seconds at a time. Stir after each warming, until ganache pours loosely but is not even close to boiling. Be very careful when warming chocolate, as it will burn very quickly when heated in the microwave. Once chocolate is scorched it is unusable. Spread warm ganache over top of frozen pie, smoothing to the edges with a spatula.

Garnish:

Beat cream and confectioners’ sugar with a handheld electric mixer to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe edges of pie with whipped cream. Sprinkle macadamia nuts over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Author: Paul Semo

Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: TMAB2003/Flickr