Limoncello Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients

• Pam cooking spray

  Oil, original

  1 spray , about 1/3 second or 0.3g

• Biscotti

  Turtle Pecan - Nonni's

  8 oz or 227g

• Butter

  Unsalted

  6 tbsp or 85g

• Lemon zest

  9 tsp or 18g

• Dry milk

  Whole, with added vitamin d

  12 oz or 340g

• Cream cheese

  16 oz or 454g

• Home recipe salad dressing

  Cooked

  1 ¼ cup or 319g

• Vanilla EggNog

  Hood

  ¹⁄₁₆ cup or 4g

• Lemons

  Raw, without peel

  10 fruit or 840g

• Vodka

  Alcoholic beverage, distilled, 80 proof

  100g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  3 ½ cup or 828g

• Sugar

  White, granulated sugar

  2 ½ cup or 500g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.
3. Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).
5. Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.
6. *Limoncello liqueur can be found at most liquor stores and in the liquor department of some specialty markets. If limoncello liqueur is unavailable at stores near you, use the following recipe to make your own limoncello liqueur.
7. Limoncello:
8. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
9. Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
10. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
11. Makes: 7 cups
12. Prep Time: 30 minutes
13. Cook Time: 10 minutes
14. Inactive Prep Time: 4 days and 4 hours
15. (source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/limoncello-cheesecake-squares-recipe-1952228)