Gluten-Free No-Bake Holiday Cranberry Cheesecake

Celiac.com 11/23/2021 - Our gluten-free cherry no-bake and blueberry no-bake cheesecakes have been some of our most popular ever. This recipe celebrates the holidays by topping our no-bake cheesecake with a delicious cranberry glaze. Add a dollop of whole berry cranberry sauce as a garnish and you're ready for some of the easiest, most delicious cheesecake in town.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup finely crushed almonds
• ¾ cup almond meal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• Cranberry topping, as desired (See below)
• Cranberry sauce, to garnish

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Directions:

Make the Gluten-free Crust
Heat oven to 300F. Place all nut crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.

Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with oil. 

Pour the nut crust mixture into the pan.

Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to press the crumbs down into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan.

Place crust in oven and bake about 5 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned. Remove and cool.

Make the Cheesecake
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and lemon juice until soft.

Add whipping cream and beat with an electric mixer until batter becomes thick.

Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff.

Pour into chilled crust, and top with cranberry glaze,

Chill several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan.

Slice and serve chilled, with a dollop of cranberry sauce, as desired.

Make the Cranberry Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Combine cranberries, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. 

Simmer, crushing cranberries, until jammy, about 8 minutes. 

Allow to cool slightly. 

Transfer to the food processor.

Add confectioners' sugar, orange juice, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. 

Process until smooth.

Strain cranberry glaze through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids. 

Pour over the cheesecake and smooth across the top with a small offset spatula. Or, if you leave some room at the top of the springform pan, you can add the topping and it will self level. You can use baking parchment to line the pan edges, making sure to leave a lip at the top so adding the topping is even easier.