About the Recipe
Ingredients
Walnut Crust:
-1.5 cups Graham Crackers (about 1.5-2 packs of whole cackers)
-1 cup Valley Grow Walnuts
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
Cheesecake Layer:
-2, 8 ounce blocks, cream cheese, softened
-4 eggs, at room temperature
-2 Tbsp. maple syrup
-1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
-1 cup sour cream, full fat
Walnut Glaze:
-1/2 cup salted butter
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 Tbsp maple syrup
-2 cups lightly toasted walnuts, chopped or whole
-2/3 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup heavy cream
Preparation
For the Crust:
-Preheat oven to 350°
-Place praham crackers, walnuts, and sugar into a food processor and grind up until nice and smooth.
-Mix in your melted butter until throughly mixed together.
-Take a 9" springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil to keep anything from dripping into your oven, and water from leaking in the pan.
-Spray the pan with nonstick spray.
-Add your crust to the pan and spread it evenly and up the sides of the pan.
-Place your crust in the oven for 7 minutes.
-Once crust is done turn your oven to 325°
For the Cheesecake:
-With a mixer, mix your cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth.
-Slowly add your sugar and vanilla and scrape down the sides as much as needed until smooth.
-Slowly add in the eggs one at a time, until just combined.
-Add in your maple syrup, until combined.
-Slowly add in your cornstarch until combined.
-Pour your cheesecake into your preppared crust. and smooth the top.
-To ensure no cracks in your cheesecake, place your cheesecake pan into a large deep pan and fill it with 2½ inces of hot water. This helps with preventing cracks on your cheesecake.
-Place your cheesecake in the oven at 325° for one hour and 20 minutes. Once your timer is done, turn of your oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 more minutes without opening the oven door.
-Once timer is up, the cheesecake should be a light golden color on the top.
-Remove cheesecake form oven and gently run a knife around the edge to keep crust from sticking to the sides. Cool the cheesecake completely before placing in the fridge. Once cooled, cover the cheesecake and place in the fridge for 6-8 hours before removing from pan and pouring on the walnut glaze.
The Walnut Glaze:
-In a large skillet, melt your butter. Then add your brown sugar and whisk together until it comes to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes while constantly stirring.
-Slowly add in your cream, once combined, add in your toasted walnuts and fold in until all the wlanuts are coated.
(You can either toast your walnuts in a pan on the stove, or place in your preheated oven for a few minutes until they get a light toasted smell)
-Remove the pan from the heat and stir in your maple syrup and vanilla extract.
-Let your glaze cool for 10-15 minutes, giving it a stir halway.
-Poor over your cooled cheesecake, slice, and ENJOY!