Have any of you all had a phase during Covid? Yours may have been watching Vampire Diaries, dying your hair, or playing Fortnite. Mine was cheesecake. I made this every week, so I will show you my way to make the best cheesecake. I added a strawberry compote but that is optional. But you're probably wondering "Why?" Cooking and baking are fundamental skills, lots of thing build off it. It helps you to read and understand directions, do math, and to work together with others.

Step 1: Preparation

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees after
Set out 2 room temperature eggs
Lay out two 8 ounce packages of cream cheese so it will be room temperature.

Step 2: Ingredients for Graham Cracker Crust

INGREDIENTS FOR GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Crush up 1 ½ cups of graham crackers which is about 9-10 graham crackers.
Add ¼ cup of powdered sugar
5 ⅓ Tablespoons of melted butter which is a little less than one stick.
Lastly add in ⅛ teaspoon of salt.

Step 3: Ingredients for Batter

INGREDIENTS FOR BATTER

Two 8 ounces packages of room temperature cream cheese,
⅔ cup of white sugar
two room temperature eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Step 4: Making the Crust

MAKING THE CRUST

Blend together all of the crust ingredients
I used a food processor but you can always use your hands
When combined it should feel almost like damp soil.

Step 5: Pan and Crust

PAN AND CRUST

Get a circular pan about 9 inches in diameter wide. Next, dump your crust mixture in the dish and use your hands to press it up against the sides and bottom. Make sure it super compact. You want it to be able to hold its shape.

Step 6: Crust Finial

FINIAL CRUST

Let your crust chill in the refrigerator for ten minutes. Since it has melted butter in it, chilling it will solidify the butter.

Step 7: Batter

BATTER

Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl! The consistency should be stiff enough to hold its' shape but still smooth with no clumps.

Step 8: Combination

COMBINATION

Carefully pour the batter into the crust. This part is crucial because it's easy to mess up the crust.

Step 9: Baking

BAKING

Now that your oven has been pre-heated to save time, bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Please be sure to watch it because if you over bake it, it feels like rubber.

Step 10: Finishing Touches

FINISHING TOUCHES

Let the batter chill in the fridge until it is solid. After that, this is optional, but drizzle your compote in top.

Step 11: All Done

ALL DONE

Now you have a delicious cheesecake that you've made all by yourself! Keep it cold until your ready to impress your family and friends.

Step 12: Conclusion

CONCLUSION

You can always change it to your liking. For example, I used a strawberry compote but you can always use raspberry or blueberry or no compote at all. Maybe you add brown sugar on top or cinnamon? Cooking and baking are fundamental skills and it is just fun. Enjoy your cheesecake!