i'm making blackberry cheesecake squares who doesn't love cheesecake i'll start by making the cheesecake crust i'm using a package of vanilla wafers for the cheesecake crust a lot of times i use graham cracker crumbs but there's just something about vanilla wafers they're a little bit sweeter a little bit more of a treat and they make a delicious crust i'm just adding about a half a cup of pecans i love the flavor of the pecans and the vanilla wafers okay then i'll just crush these up [Applause] okay that looks good now i'm gonna pulse the machine while i drizzle in a stick of melted butter this will just help the crust come together okay that's just right now i have a pan that i lined in foil and then sprayed the foil with nonstick baking spray now just grab the crumbs and just pour them right in the pan they smell so good i could just grab a spoon right now and eat it as a snack okay now i'll just use my hands to press it evenly all over the surface of the pan the crust is all ready now i'll move on to the filling and that's three eight ounce packages of cream cheese they've been out for a little bit so they're pretty soft usually when i make cheesecake i make them in regular round springform pans but for potluck i always think that things should be in neat squares so when people go through the line they can easily serve themselves okay and then i'll add a cup and a half of sugar cream cheese and sugar what a combination okay and then i'll just splash in about a teaspoon and a half of vanilla and then i'll just whip this until it's really fluffy so i'm gonna crack in four eggs okay just keep going third egg last egg all right now i have a package of sour cream i'll add four ounces otherwise known as half a cup just plop it right in there that looks absolutely beautiful oh so creamy and delicious i get to lick the bowl as usual i definitely need a spatula i don't want any of this to go to waste oh my goodness who invented cheesecake i think they should be sainted all right i just get all of that in there goodness gracious one of the most beautiful sights in the world okay i'll just spread it out so it's in a nice even layer on top all right now i'm just going to bake this in a 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes i topped the cheesecake with this beautiful blackberry topping i'll tell you how i made it so i threw a pile of plump ripe blackberries into a pan with sugar and water then i brought it to a boil and simmered it for four or five minutes then to thicken it slightly i mixed up a slurry of cornstarch and water and stirred it into the blackberry mixture then i boiled it for another minute or so and when it was cooled i poured it over the cheesecake and popped it into the fridge to set i'm hoping the foil will just lift the cheesecake right out and it worked i love it when that happens and then i'll just cut it into really neat squares i've got a really sharp serrated knife and that makes it easy to slice through the blackberries on top the other benefit to cutting the cheesecake into squares and putting it on a platter is that sometimes you can sneak a piece and no one will ever know all right all cut into squares now i'll just take the squares and get them on the platter you