Cheesecake

This is a twist on one of Junior's cheesecakes.  (Junior's is a New York restaurant famous for cheesecake.)  This is EASY and YUMMY.  This cake is easier than almost any other cake I've made, so forget that stuff about cheesecakes being difficult.  All ingredients get mixed in a stand mixer and then straight onto the crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place 8 oz. (1 package) of full-fat cream cheese (you'll need a total of 3 cream cheese packages), 1/3 cup of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of corn starch in a stand mixer, beating on low for about 3 minutes.  You'll have to scrape down the sides a couple of times.

Blend in 16 oz. (2 packages) more of cream cheese.  Increase speed to medium, add in 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla.  Blend in 2 eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well.  Then beat in (barely, do NOT overbeat) 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream.

Melanie melts 1/4 cup of butter and mixes it with 24 graham crackers (6 full sheets), a teaspoon of sugar (just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way), and a pinch of salt.

Place graham cracker crust in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Wrap the bottom of the pan in foil because it will go in a water bath and you don't want soggy cheesecake.  If you don't have a springform or don't want to mess with wrapping it, you can use a pie dish but it needs to be deep or the filling won't fit.

Spoon in the cheesecake mixture and place the springform pan in a shallow dish filled with water.  This keeps the cheesecake from cracking and drying out.

Bake for just over an hour.  The top should be nice and golden but not cracked.  Let it cool for an hour or two before placing it in the refrigerator.  (You may want to place it in the freezer so you can cut clean slices and then move it to the refrigerator.)  It will need to be in the refrigerator for about 4 hours before eating.  Too bad, you'll have to wait.