Apple Streusel Cheesecake

Trust me... this recipe is a winner! The original recipe is from Paula Deen which I tweaked a wee bit. Streusel is basically a crumb topping made with flour, sugar and butter. In this recipe quick cooking oats have been added too.I made it for the first time as a part of the Thanksgiving potluck and then made it again for Christmas. It is high on calories... but who cares about calories during Holidays!! This cheesecake has distinct layers of flavor. I simply love how the sweetness of the streusel topping is offset by the tartness of apples and cream cheese.

What I needed:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 
  
• For the Streusel Topping:
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

How I made it: 

Preheated oven to 350 degrees F.

I mixed flour, brown sugar and butter using a hand mixer until mixture is crumbly.Then pressed the mixture firmly into a 13 by 9 baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Baked the same for 15 minutes till it turns golden brown and set aside.

In a separate bowl, I beat the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar with the hand mixer slowly until smooth. To it I added in the eggs and the vanilla essence and mixed till fully incorporated. Poured this mixture to cover the crust evenly.

In another bowl, I mixed the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and 2 tablespoons sugar and used a spoon to evenly spread over cream cheese mixture. Lastly, added the streusel mix. To make the streusel I mixed all the ingredients together using a fork and then sprinkled on top of the layer of apple mix. 

Baked it at 350F for about 25 to 30 minutes till the filling set. 

"An excellent tea time food for young children and those who need a little calorie dense food in periods of leanness" - Dr Ranjini Datta, HOD, Dietetics, KPC Medical College.