Simple and Basic Cheesecake

When I worked for the telephone company, our office had a yearly craft sale where people brought and sold crafty items they’d created during the year.  I brought cheesecake. The first year, I brought 3 cheese cakes; the last year a dozen. They always sold.

If you want to embellish this very basic recipe, you may add a tablespoon of Amaretto or use one of a variety of easy toppings–a melted chocolate bar or cherry, blueberry, strawberry, or peach pie filling.  Fresh fruit toppings are wonderful too.

Although the cheesecake recipe currently exists on a yellowed, food-stained recipe card, its origin is lost in my memory. I believe the graham cracker crust recipe came from the back of a graham cracker box.

Simple and Basic Cheesecake

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tblsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Let cream cheese sit in bowl until room temperature.  Add sugar and mix until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time–beating well after adding each.  You may use a spoon or an electric hand mixer, which I prefer because you get a fluffier product.  Put in graham cracker crust (buy pre prepared one or use recipe below). Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool.  Then refrigerate.  Add toppings if you wish.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (use thoroughly crushed whole graham crackers or buy already crushed crumbs)

1/3 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon OR 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Mix ingredients thoroughly and press into an 8-9 inch pie plate.  Bake pie shell at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.  Cool for 10-15 minutes before adding cheesecake mixture.