Recipe: ENVY™ Apple Churro Cheesecake (+ Enter Sweepstakes)

I have partnered with Central Market and Envy Apples to bring you this sponsored post. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

You are going to LOVE this recipe for ENVY™ Apple Churro Cheesecake!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, melted

For the apple layer:

2 ENVY™ apples, peeled and small diced
4 T butter
1 T ground cinnamon

For the cheesecake:

4 packs cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

Pillsbury croissant dough

Canola oil
Sugar
Ground cinnamon

For the churros:

½ can Pillsbury croissant rolls
3 cups canola oil
½ cup sugar
1 T ground cinnamon

Equipment needed:
9-inch spring form pan
Foil
Large pot (large enough to fit the spring form pan into with room around it)

• How To:
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Wrap the spring form pan tightly in foil from the bottom up the sides (this is to ensure water doesn’t find its way into the cracks of the pan)
• Combine all ingredients for the crust until well combined and then press into bottom of greased spring form pan
• Bake for 10 minutes and let cool
• Meanwhile in a large sauté pan, melt the butter and then add the apples and cinnamon, sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Set aside till the crust is cooled. Spoon mixture evenly over top of the baked crust. In a mixer, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Add eggs, one a time, until well incorporated
• Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated
• Pour mixture over top of the apples and crust
• Place the foil wrapped spring form pan into larger pot and fill with water half way up the sides of the cheesecake
• Bake uncovered for 60 – 70 minutes, or until the center is set
• Remove foil and cool completely in refrigerator
• Remove spring form ring around the sides of the cheesecake (if sticks at all, use a butter knife to loosen)
• Remove dough from can and cut into 18 thin slices
• Combine ½ cup sugar and 1 T ground cinnamon.

Heat a medium pot of the canola oil to 375 degrees (will know if it’s hot enough if you put a small piece of dough in and it immediately starts rapidly boiling). The oil should be at least 3 inches deep One slice at a time, unravel the round into the hot oil and let fry until golden brown on one side, flip, and repeat on the next side (will have to do the rounds in many batches) Remove from the oil and dust with cinnamon sugar, repeat with each round.

Pile the churros high on top of cheesecake or slice cheesecake and top each slice individually!

You can pick up your Envy Apples at Central Market for this recipe! Make sure to enter this sweeps for a chance to win 1 of 15 $200 gift cards to William Sonoma and a shipment of Envy apples. You will also gain access to a step-by-step guide to the ultimate, envy-able spread too, once you enter!