Apple Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Crust
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the Apple Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
6 medium to large Granny Smith or other baking apple,
peeled, cored and thinly sliced

For the Filling
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple topping

Directions

For the Crust, combine the three ingredients and press onto the bottom and about 1-1/2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan; chill in the refrigerator so the butter will set and hold the crust together.

For the Topping, place sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a Dutch oven or large, deep frypan; whisk ingredients together well.

Add apples; bring to a boil, stirring often because the flour needs the boil to thicken all the juices, both from and sugar and lemon juice and from the apples as they cook.

Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or just until apples are tender. Gently stir as needed.
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Set aside about 1/2 cup of the topping to incorporate into the filling and refrigerate the rest until needed.

For the filling, Mix cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended.

Chop up any large pieces of the reserved topping so it will distribute evenly through the filling. Otherwise, it will create holes.

Add the reserved apple topping to the filling and mix well.

Pour the filling into your chilled crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Turn the oven off and prop open the oven door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 60 minutes.

Cool cheesecake to room temperature, and chill four hours or more.

Top with your apple topping.