Lost Trail Root Beer Cheesecake

For the Crust:

• 2 Sleeves Graham Crackers pulsed into crumbs

• 2 Tbs. Sugar

• 1 Stick Butter, melted

For the Cheesecake:

• 3 pkg. Cream Cheese, 8 ounces softened

• 1/2 C. Heavy Cream Whipped

• 1 Tbs. Powdered Sugar

• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

• 3/4 C. Sugar

• 1/4 C. Powdered Sugar

• 1/3 C. Lost Trail Root Beer

For the Frosting:

• 4 oz. Cream Cheese

• 4 Tbs. Butter

• 1/4 tsp. Vanilla

• 1 Tbs. Heavy Cream

• 3 to 4 C. Powdered Sugar

• Brown Food Coloring Gel

To Top:

• Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer Barrels - candies

Crust: Place the graham cracker in the food processor with the sugar, and pulse into crumbs. Melt the butter in a

medium-sized bowl, pour the graham cracker crumb mixture into the butter and stir well to coat. Line the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan evenly,

smoothing with the back of the spoon. Place the pan in the freezer. OR JUST BUY A PRE-MADE GRAHAM

Cheesecake: Place heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar, and whip with the whisk attachment of your stand mixer until stiff peaks form and the cream is whipped. Remove the whipped cream to a separate bowl, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. In the mixing bowl, place the cream cheese, and blend until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and sugar, and mix until smooth. Remove the whipped cream from the refrigerator, add to the mixing bowl, and blend to combine. Add the root beer, and mix it into the cheesecake batter. Divide the cheesecake batter in half, place half in a bowl, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Add several drops of brown food coloring gel to the remaining cheesecake batter in the mixing bowl, and mix well to blend. Remove the pan from the freezer, and pour the brown layer of cheesecake batter into the pan. Place the pan back into the freezer for at least 4 hours or until the cheesecake is firm to the touch. Remove from the freezer, and pour the white cheesecake batter from the refrigerator on top of the brown layer in the pan. Smooth the top of the white layer, and place it back in the freezer overnight for best results.

Frosting: In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter and softened cream cheese, and mix with the whisk attachment until creamy and fluffy. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, and mix. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, blending on low speed and scraping the bowl down as needed until all powdered sugar is added, and the frosting is thoroughly mixed and smooth. Add the brown food coloring gel, a few drops at a time, until the desired color of brown is achieved. Place the frosting in a pastry bag with a large star tip. Pipe the frosting onto the edges of the

cheesecake. Place a candy root beer barrel on top of each dollop of frosting. Place the cheesecake back in the freezer until time to serve. When ready to serve, remove the spring form from the pan, and slice the cheesecake into 2-inch pieces.

Tip: The frosting will not mix correctly if the butter and cream cheese are cold; both need to be soft, and at room temperature.