RECIPE: Gluten Free Bacon Cheesecake

This was my first cheesecake ever. I changed the crust from the original recipe to GF graham crumbs.

I do not have a processor, so my bacon pieces [in the crust and in the filling] were larger than the recipe callled for, but that was okay! Plus, I omitted the candied bacon topping.
This cheesecake was amazing!!!

BACON CHEESECAKE 

 Ingredients:

§          10-12 strips of bacon (go for thick-ish and meaty, fatty bacon is not very good for this)

CRUST

§         2 cups graham cracker crumbs [I used gluten-free graham]

§         2 Tbsp brown sugar

§         6 Tbsp butter (OR a mix of butter and bacon grease if you want it REALLY good!)

FILLING

§          24 oz cream cheese (3 - 8oz packages) at room temperature

§          3 eggs

§         3/4 c white sugar

§          2 tsp vanilla extract

Bacon Prep:

1. Bake 6-8 bacon strips crispy enough to crumble well. [I fried mine on low.] Make sure the fat is all crisp  (chewy bits in a cheesecake are kind of gross.)
2. Dredge 4 additional strips of bacon through some brown sugar and bake some candied bacon as well.
3. Turn the oven down to 350F [if you baked your bacon]
4. Set the bacon aside to cool. SAVE THAT GREASE! Make the crust while the bacon cools.
5. Crumble 2-3 strips of the plain bacon very finely (can use a food processor), and
6. Crumble 4-5 strips finely and keep separate.  
7. Crumble the candied bacon coarsely and keep separate.

Crust Prep:

1. Grease a 9 inch springform pan, making sure to get a bit up the sides.  (I used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.)
2. Blend your graham cracker crumbs and sugar well.
3. Soften your butter until it's almost melted (and/or bacon grease) and slowly pour into your dry mix, stirring to blend. 
4. Add the 2-3 strip pile of very finely crumbled bacon and pull out any chunks that are too chunky.
5. When it is completely mixed and sticks together well, start pressing the mixture into the bottom of your pan and up the sides a bit. You can get it smooth and even using the bottom of a drinking glass or similar.
6. Bake at 350F for 8 - 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it - you don't want to burn it or bake it too much or the crust will be hard. You're shooting for nice and browned.
7. Take it out and let it cool completely, then grease the sides of the pan well (above the crust.)

Filling prep:

1. Beat the softened cream cheese until it is creamy.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat creamy.
3. Add the 4-5 strip pile of bacon and beat creamy
4. Now comes the tricky part: Add the eggs one at a time, slowly, and just beat well enough to blend - do NOT over beat it once you add the eggs or it will force too much air into the batter and it will fall when you take it out of the oven. 
5. Scrape the sides as you blend to make sure you've gotten those eggs mixed in really well.

Baking:

1. Pour your batter into the greased pan on top of the cooled crust and put it in the oven for 35 minutes.
2. Place a pie dish filled about 2/3 full of water on the bottom rack while you bake your cheesecake. This helps keep the oven steamy and your cheesecake creamy! 
3. When the timer goes off take out your cheesecake and run a very thin bladed knife carefully around the inside of the pan so it can pull away from the pan properly. 
4. Put it back in the oven, turn off the oven and crack open the door. Let your cheesecake stay in the oven as it cools to finish the baking and prevent cracking. About 40 minutes is usually good.
5. Take it out and sprinkle the candied bacon crumbled evenly across the top. You can remove the springform sides now, or let it chill in the fridge overnight before removing the pan. Regardless, let it chill at least three hours before you eat it.

NOTE: Cheesecake is evidently pretty tricky. This is something you'll have to experiment with and learn what works best for you.  Everyone has their own way of doing cheesecake.

~ Enjoy~ Auntie Dem