KISSES CANDY CANE SWIRL CHEESECAKE

KISSES Candy Cane Swirl Cheesecake image

This looks like it would be a delicious cheesecake for the Christmas holiday season. I have not made this yet but hope to in the near future. Recipe and picture by Hershey's kitchens.com

Provided by Karla Everett @Karla59

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

- cookie crumb crust(recipe below)
3/4 cup(s) sugar
3 - eggs
1 tablespoon(s) milk
3 package(s) (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
42 - hershey's kisses brand candy cane mint candies, divided
- sweetened whipped cream

Steps:

Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare COOKIE CRUMB CRUST BELOW.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside 1/4 cup batter; spread remaining batter in prepared crust.
Remove wrappers from candies. Place 30 candies and milk in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until candies are melted and mixture is well blended when stirred. Gradually blend reserved cheesecake batter into candy mixture. Drop candy mixture by tablespoonfuls onto vanilla batter. Gently swirl with knife for marbled effect.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Cover; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with whipped cream and remaining candies. Cover; refrigerate leftovers. 10 to 12 servings.
COOKIE CRUMB CRUST: Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together 1-1/2 vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (about 45 cookies, crushed) and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl; blend in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool.
Notes from the kitchen : Avoid over-beating the batter. Over-beating incorporates additional air and tends to cause cracking on the surface of the cheesecake.
Avoid over-baking. Cheesecake baking times are not always exact, due to variations in ovens. The cheesecake will continue to bake after it is removed from the oven. The center of the cheesecake should be just slightly moist when it is ready to be removed.