White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I've made this cheesecake for over seven years, perfecting a traditional recipe I found on www.allrecipes.com along the way. Every time I've made it, the tasters have nothing but great reviews to give! It's thick, creamy, sweet, and tart in all the right places, and if you do everything my steps tell you, your cheesecake will not cave in!

1 springform pan

1 sheet cake baking sheet

Tin foil

Mesh strainer

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

3 tablespoons white sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

½ cup water

2 cups white chocolate chips

½ cup half-and-half cream

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

½ cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble the Oreo cookies, cream as well.— Either in a food processor or crushed by a rolling pin in a Ziploc bag.

Try to get the cookies crumbled into a fine powder so there are no large chunks.

Melt the butter and combine with the cookie crumble and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well. Use a fork to press together so that larger chunks will break down and stick together.

Press into the bottom of the springform pan, and chill for 30 minutes.

Combine the raspberries, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, bubbling well for five minutes. Stir until sauce is thick, then strain the seeds through a cheesecloth or strainer.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt the white chocolate chips with the half n half in a bowl over simmering water. Stir often. Be careful not to burn.

Combine the softened cream cheese and half a cup of sugar, mixing until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in the vanilla and white chocolate mixture.

Pour half of the prepared batter over the crust. Then drop three large spoonsful of raspberry sauce on top. Pour the remaining batter over the sauce and drop another three large spoonsful of raspberry sauce on top. Swirl a knife through the batter to gain a marbled effect.

Cover the bottom of the springform pan in tin foil and make a cradle for it to sit in. Put the pan on a sheet cake pan. Put it in the oven, and carefully pour a cup of water into the baking sheet so the cheesecake is sitting in a hot bath.

Bake for 60 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the cheesecake in the oven with the bathwater. Add more water to the sheet if needed. Leave in the cooling oven for 30-45 minutes. This will ensure that the cheesecake is full and not caved in!

Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving.