Peach Cobbler Cheesecake

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium dish, smooshing the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers or two forks.

Once it’s evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, place the dish in the refrigerator.

Peaches

You have two options here. One, you can bake all of the peaches at once and reserve half of them to pile on top of the cheesecake. Two, bake half of the peaches now, only for the filling, and bake the other half once the cheesecake has chilled overnight as these will be piled on top. It’s totally up to you! I just find that freshly roasted peaches look juicier than when they’ve chilled.

Either way, preheat the oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the peaches to a large bowl with the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss to coat.

Scoop the peaches onto the baking sheet in one single layer. Drip off any excess butter/sugar mixture as you transfer them to the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until they look tender and juicy. Don’t over bake, otherwise they’ll become too soft and mushy.

Allow to cool on the pan while you continue with the rest of the cheesecake.

Graham Cracker Crust

This recipe makes a thick crust that reaches up the sides of the cheesecake. If you prefer just a bottom crust, cut this recipe in half.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 9″ springform pan in nonstick spray and line the sides with two strips of parchment paper.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until evenly moistened. Dump the crust into the pan and spread into a loose even layer with your fingers. Then use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to press it into the bottom and up the sides.

Bake for 10 minutes, then allow it to cool while you make the cheesecake batter.

Cheesecake Batter

Drop the temperature to 325F. Place a large roast pan on the bottom rack of the oven.

Before you start, make sure your cream cheese is softened and the eggs and sour cream are at room temperature. To speed up this process, place the cream cheese (still in the wrappings) and eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 20-30 minutes. Also include the sour cream, but place it in a ziplock bag. Then when you’re ready to use it, just snip off a corner and squeeze it into the batter.

To start, add the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on LOW speed just until it comes together and forms a smooth texture. Scrape down the bowl and mix on low for another 20 seconds.

Pause and start a pot of boiling water (about 6 cups) on the stove top. This will be for the water bath that the cheesecake is baked in.

Back to the batter. Mix in the eggs one at a time on LOW speed. Only add the next when the one prior is just incorporated. After the 2nd egg is mixed in, stop and scrape down the bowl. Mix for 20 seconds then continue with the rest of the eggs. Mix in the vanilla with the final egg yolk.

Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the sour cream using a rubber spatula. To fold, run the spatula around the bowl and through the center, dipping up from the bottom of the bowl.

Pour half of the batter into the cooled graham cracker crust. Then layer half of the peaches on top (about 3 peaches) then sprinkle 3/4 of the crumble (place the rest in the refrigerator). Top with the remaining cheesecake batter and spread it even. Give the pan a couple gentle taps against your counter to release any air bubbles. **If you baked the peaches all at once, store the other half of the peaches in the refrigerator.

Open the oven door and slide out the bottom rack with the roast pan, just enough to gain access to the pan. Carefully pour the boiling water into the pan and push the rack back in. Place the cheesecake just above the roast pan on the middle rack. So now you should have a roast pan filled with water on the bottom of the oven, and the cheesecake in the middle of the oven.

Quickly close the door (to stop the steam from escaping) and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When it’s done, the edges should be puffed up and the center sunken down. Give the springform pan a gentle nudge. If the center wobbles like a bowl of milk, bake for another 10 minutes. If it jiggles like jello, it’s done.

Turn the oven off and crack open the oven door with the cheesecake still inside. Leave it there for an hour.

Then, take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, place the cheesecake uncovered in the fridge for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

To serve, pile your roasted peaches on top of the chilled cheesecake and remaining crumble. Now slice and enjoy!