Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 325°f.
• 2 combine cookie crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl; press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 10 inch springform pan.
• 3 beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth.
• 4 add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 5 add sugar and almond extract; beat until smooth.
• 6 add 1/2 cup of the whipping cream; blend well.
• 7 spoon 3 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture into the crust lined pan, spreading evenly.
• 8 carefully spread 1 cup of the pie filling evenly over the cream cheese layer; reserve the remaining pie filling for the topping.
• 9 spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over the pie filling layer.
• 10 bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is set.
• 11 cool in pan on a wire rack for 1 hour.
• 12 bring the other 1/2 cup of whipping cream to a boil in a small saucepan.
• 13 remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips.
• 14 line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
• 15 remove the sides of the springform pan.
• 16 place cheesecake on the paper lined cookie sheet.
• 17 spread the chocolate glaze evenly over the top of the cheesecake allowing some of the glaze to run down the sides.
• 18 chill for at least 3 hours or over night.
• 19 serve topped with the remaining pie filling.