White Chocolate-Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Who loves cheesecake? I have to admit I did not discover my love for this dessert until I was in college. My husband, who I began dating my sophomore year, insisted that I try a bite of a cheesecake he was enjoying one night... and I loved it!

Note: My husband earns a lot of credit for me venturing outside of my norm and trying new things. He keeps me open minded. :)

I fell in love with plain NY style cheesecake first. I didn't want anything to do with fruity toppings or additional flavors of any sort. Plain, simple cheesecake was delicious enough for me. After a year or so of refusing to branch out, Matt (my husband), went to the store and bought a sampler tray of cheesecake that had about five or six variations. Chocolate, strawberry, caramel, Oreo... it was cheesecake overload. But we sat down after our dinner that night and tried them all! And what do you know, I like an assortment of cheesecakes. :)  So in celebration of our 3 year wedding anniversary this past week, I made a white chocolate-raspberry swirl cheesecake... seemed appropriate, don't you think?

This is a Kraft Foods recipe that is super easy, but tastes as though you spent hours laboring in the kitchen. It's the perfect dessert for a casual dinner party. Very little effort, with a whole lot of flavor!

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake


Ingredients:
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3oz Baker's white chocolate, melted
1 6oz ready made graham cracker pie crust (recipe calls for an Oreo pie crust which I'm sure is just as tasty)
3 Tbsp raspberry preserves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. With an electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs and beat just until blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Pour into crust.

Microwave preserves in a small bowl for 15-30 seconds or until melted. Spoon small dots on top of cheesecake and gently swirl with a knife.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Place on wire rack for cooling. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Source: Kraft Foods