Cranberry Orange Champagne Cheesecake

Directions

1. Line an 8″ springform pan with Parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375.
   
3. Dump the butter, 2 TBS Madhava, and Speculoos/Biscoff in a food processor and grind until smooth.
   
4. Place crust mix into prepared pan and smooth to the edges (I use cooking spray on my hands to make this easier).
   
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden; remove to cool while making filling and lower oven temp to 350.
   
6. Using a whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese and Madhava sweetener in a stand mixer on medium high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
   
7. Add in the yogurt and protein powder mixing well (it will be thick/chunky).
   
8. Add in champagne, OJ, and vanilla, and blend until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
   
9. Switch to a paddle attachment, and on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
   
10. Fill a large roasting pan with 4-5 cups of steaming hot water. Wrap your springform pan in several layers of foil and place into a crockpot liner, tying the edge up, to keep your cheesecake from getting any water into it during the water bath.
    
11. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan, and put the prepared pan into the roasting pan with water.
    
12. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the sides have set but the center is still jiggly.
    
13. Turn the oven off, leaving the cheesecake inside, and crack the oven door to allow the cheesecake to finish baking for 1 hour.
    
14. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool to room temp; I like to run a sharp knife around the edges after it is cool.
    
15. Refrigerate cheesecake overnight or place in fridge for 4 hours before serving.
    
16. To make the candied cranberries, bring the OJ and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
    
17. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 5-8 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup is slightly thickened.
    
18. Allow this mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
    
19. Place cranberries in a large bowl, and pour syrup mix on top.
    
20. Allow this to mix overnight or for at least 4 hours to get the cranberries tacky.
    
21. Strain the mixture with a sieve over a large bowl (the remaining syrup is GREAT for cocktails).
    
22. Let the cranberries dry in the bowl for 30 minutes and get sticky.
    
23. Place sanding sugar and Madhava on a large baking sheet; roll the cranberries in this mix to coat completely.
    
24. Let the cranberries set for 2-3 hours, until the sugar on the outside has hardened into a shell.
    
25. Remove cheesecake from pan and top with cranberries.* Enjoy!
    
26. Keep leftover cheesecake covered in the fridge.
    
*Keep cranberries in an airtight container at room temp until ready to serve; this will keep the sugar “shell” from getting moist; keeping it in the fridge on top of the cheesecake will cause the sugar to get moist and slide off the cranberries.