Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Make the Graham Cracker Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Transfer graham crackers to a food processor or blender and blend until the graham crackers form a coarse flour. Note: you can also place the graham crackers in a zip lock bag, seal it, and use a rolling pin to break them up.
3. Pour the graham cracker mixture into a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for the crust (melted butter, pure maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon). Stir everything together until well-combined.
4. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. If you don't have 9 inch spring form pan, you can also use a regular cake pan or an 8-inch springform pan.
5. Press the graham cracker crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan until it forms an even layer. Bake crust on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10 minutes. The cheesecake crust should be lightly golden brown but not fully baked. Remove the pie crust from the oven and allow it to cool while you’re preparing the cheesecake filling.

Prepare the Cheesecake Filling:

1. Combine cottage cheese and the pure maple syrup to a high powered blender and blend on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth.
2. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, tapioca flour, and sea salt and blend just until all of the ingredients are combined. Avoid over-blending the mixture.

Bake Cheesecake:

1. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pie dish with aluminum foil and place it inside of a roasting pan. Spray the inside sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat a large kettle of water to a full boil then pour the hot water around the pie pan, creating a water bath. You want the water to go about half-way up the outside of the pie dish.
3. Pour the cottage cheese mixture into the pie dish over the pie crust and spread it into an even layer. Cover the top of the pie dish with aluminum foil. The water bath and the foil cover will allow the cheesecake to bake evenly without getting too brown anywhere.
4. Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes (still at 350 degrees F). The cheesecake is done when the sides have firmed up but the center is still slightly jiggly, or it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Note: if you’d prefer to skip the water bath, you certainly can. I just recommend it for the best results because the texture is more tender.
6. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool until the outside of the pan is no longer warm to the touch. Keeping the pan covered with foil, transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 4 hours or until the cheesecake has completely chilled.

Prepare the Strawberry Cheesecake Topping (Optional):

1. Transfer the chopped fresh strawberries to a saucepan along with the pure maple syrup. Cover the pot and heat over medium-high heat on the stove top. Bring the strawberry mixture to a full boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries reach your desired level of softness. Stir in the tapioca flour and continue cooking until the sauce around the strawberries has thickened.
2. Transfer the strawberry topping to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
3. Pour the strawberry topping over the cheesecake before slicing and serving. As an alternative, you can slice the cheesecake first and then drizzle each individual piece with strawberry topping before serving.