Good Food
I am partnering with Hire Influence, Southwest Airlines and Mondelez/Ritz Crackers for a food and travel inspired blog post series. This is a sponsored post, however opinions are my own.
#LuvRitzSweepstakes
VOTE for this Jamaica Coconut Pineapple Cheesecake Recipeand while you're there enter toWIN $5000in Southwest Airlines giftcards.
Our family of six loves to travel and we've done dozens of U.S. road trips as well as traveled by air to exotic corners of the world many thousands of miles away from our home in L.A. When it comes to vacation travel, we often choose Southwest Airlines which has routes from our departure city of Los Angeles International Airport to many American cites as well as six other countries.
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Next up on my travel bucket list I'm dreaming of a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica -- luckily it's a Southwest destination. Inspired by that vacation idea I came up with a wonderfully exotic and delicious Jamaican Coconut Pineapple Cheesecake that substitutes Ritz Crackers for graham crackers in the crust. You're in encouraged to read on and learn how to make this new take on the classic cheesecake to will make you wish you were on a tropical island.
Don't miss my other new blogpost showcasing another delicious, Southwest destination-inspired recipe made with Ritz Crackers: California Mini Tostadas.
Recipe
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Jamaica Coconut Pineapple
Cheesecake
Time to Make: 2-1/2 hours
Makes 16 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tubes Ritz Crackers (32 crackers each tube)
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 4 T. brown sugar
- 2 T. shredded coconut
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 lb cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 c. cottage cheese
- 1 c. ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 t. salt
- 5 T. flour
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1 c. coarse chop pineapple, drained
- Additional fresh pineapple & coconut to garnish
Directions
Prepare the Crust
1. Grind the Ritz Crackers and macadamian nuts in a blender or food processor.
2. Place ground cracker/nut mixture in bowl and add brown sugar, shredded coconut and vanilla and mix well.
3. Firmly press crust into bottom of an 8" spring form baking pan. Set aside.
Make the Cheesecake
4. In a large bowl using an electric handheld or stand mixer, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs, then add sugar, salt, flour, sour cream, and milk. Beat until well blended.
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into prepared crust.
6. Drop chopped pineapple bits into the batter, sprinkling over the top of batter so that some pineapple remains near the surface and other bits descend down into the batter at various levels.
7. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes until baked through and lightly browned on top. Toward the end of baking time, watch through the glass door carefully for desired doneness without opening the door.
8. After baking time as ended, turn oven off. Leave cake in the oven for an additional hour to gradually cool to avoid the surface cracking.
9. Remove from pan and chill for a a few hours or overnight. Transfer to cake platter and garnish with fresh pineapple and coconut. For an extra Jamaican tropical touch you can also add exotic flowers to decorate and/or drizzle 1 T. of your favorite rum on top of the cheese cake.
10. Cut cheesecake with a sharp knife dipped into hot water for easy slicing, adding some of the pineapple and coconut garnish to each serving. Take in the view of your guests enjoying every bite and don't be surprised if they ask for seconds.
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About Southwest Airlines
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is in its 44th year of service with 47,000 employees serving 100 million customers each year. The airline operates 3,600 flights per day, serving 94 destinations across the U.S. including my hometown of L.A. and six additional countries. For more information visit theofficial websiteas well as follow Southwest onTwitter,FacebookandInstagram.
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About Ritz Crackers
Ritz Crackers are a classic snack which has been enjoyed for generations. They're widely available and easy to find in markets across America. Flavors to choose from include Original, Whole Wheat, Bacon, Garlic Butter and other varieties.Learn about Ritz Crackers on theofficial websitewhere you'll also find lots more delicious recipes. You can also stay up on everything the brand is doing and get more ideas of how to enjoy Ritz Crackers by following them onFacebook,Twitter,PinterestandGoogle+.
BIG #LuvRitzSweepstakes GIVEAWAY
Remember toVOTE for this Jamaica Coconut Pineapple Cheesecake Recipeand while you're there enter toWIN $5000in Southwest Airlines giftcards.
FTC Disclosure: In concert with Hire Influence, I am being compensated for this Southwest Airlines and Mondelez/Ritz Crackers blog series campaign.However opinions here are my own.See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
