Baked Apple Pie Birthday Cheesecake

If you love apple pie, you’ll love this cheesecake!  And if you love cheesecake, this may be your favorite one yet!  I am serioulsy not joking!  My mom makes some of the BEST pies ever, including apple, my fave, but this Cheesecake ROCKS!  

Just a little over a week ago my mom turned 81, and we celebrated in style!  Yes folks, she made her own birthday cheesecake.  She wouldn’t have had it any other way…after all, according to her, we were celebrating everyone else’s October Birthday but hers.  She honestly doesn’t like making a big deal out of her Birthday, but us kiddos sure do!

We had so much fun making her feel just as loved as we feel daily!  She kept saying…“Enough all ready!”  All she really wanted for her birthday was to be surrounded by us kids and her grandkids.  Unfortunately we all couldn’t be together, but all the phone calls from her nieces and my brother from a far, definitely put a big smile on her face!

My mom is definitely one of a kind.  I love that she goes out of her way daily to make all of us feel so loved.  We talk every day and I feel so fortunate to be so close to her.  I thank God every day for my mom!  He definitley knew what he was doing when he gave me such a loving and caring best friend to be my side in this crazy journey we call life!  She’s always there for me no matter what!  She reminds me all the time, even when I sometimes get down about aging as a runner, how precious life is, so lets celebrate life (and eat apple pie cheesecake)!

We had such an amazing weekend hanging out and enjoying just being together!  My sister-in-law whipped up some of the best meatloaf!  I can’t believe I didn’t get a pic.  Trust me, it was amazing!  It paired perfectly with my roasted brussels, beets and spaghetti squash.

The desert however was the biggest HIT!  OMG.  Everyone loved it, including my mom, and that’s huge because she’s a bit critical of her baking.  Someday I hope to be half as talented as her!  I love my mom, and not just because she is an awesome baker!

I do suggest you make this for your next birthday gathering.  Or any gathering, for that matter.  Or just make it for YOU and YOUR’S truly.

BAKED APPLE PIE BIRTHDAY CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Granny Smith Apples
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook Apples: Place apples in a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.  Heat 6 minutes or until apples are tender.  Stirring frequently.  Cool.
2. Heat oven to 325 F.  Combine graham crumbs, oats, butter and remaining cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the remaining sugar.  Press into bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.
3. Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar in medium bowl with  mixer until blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time mixing on low speed after each just until blended.
4. Spread half the apples over crust to within 1/2 inch of edge.  Cover with cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate remaining apples until ready to use.
5. Bake cheesecake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until center is almost set.  Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake, cool before removing rim.  Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.
6. Drain remaining apples just before serving cheesecake.  Arrange apples on top of cheesecake or along side.

ENJOY EVERY BITE!