Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust

This recipe for Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust is my entry into Golden Girl Granola's Blogger Recipe Challenge. I received one complimentary bag of Truly Tropical Granola in exchange for my entry. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.

My favorite dessert is cheesecake - hands-down, it's cheesecake. I love the versatility, the creaminess and most importantly the cheese. I've been wanting to put pineapple in a cheesecake for such a long time, but wasn't sure how to add it in without the result being too moist of a cheesecake. Well folks, I solved my conundrum and created this absolutely fabulous Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust! {complete with a full 8oz. can of crushed pineapple, no draining necessary.} For the crust I substituted the usual graham cracker crust for a phenomenal granola crust. Truly Tropical Granola from Golden Girl to be exact and the perfect addition to this cheesecake!

From the citrus-glazed top sprinkled with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts, to the luscious cheesecake filling that is laced with pineapple, sweetened coconut and tidbits of macadamia nuts - this Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust is the bee's knees! Then, to be a show-off I just had to add a tropical flavored granola as the crust, complete with dried mangos, cashews and coconut flakes. This cheesecake is like a tropical paradise in your mouth!

The granola that I used for the crust on this Tropical Cheesecake is from Golden Girl Granola. Golden Girl is a family-owned + operated company {with a great backstory!} that produces small-batch granola in Massachusettes. They have a fantastic line of granola varieties - such as Bluesberry, Forest Maple, Home Sweet Honey and more, each hand-stirred and I'm pretty sure made with love. Golden Girl Granola is non-GMO, gluten free and made with the finest local ingredients they can find. I am seriously in love with this company, from the fabulously made product to the cute drawings on the front of their granola packaging!

This recipe for Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust calls for 2 cups of Golden Girl Truly Tropical, which means out of a 14oz. package there is still 1 cup leftover to enjoy as cereal, a topping, or a snack right out of the bag. I totally snacked right out of the bag and it was awesome.

Ok, I won't say anything else about how awesome this cheesecake is or how marvelous that granola company is - I'll just quietly leave you with teasing photos and the recipe. Enjoy!

Tropical Cheesecake with Granola Crust
{PRINTABLE RECIPE}
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups Golden Girl Truly Tropical Granola
½ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

Cheesecake Filling
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, not drained
¼ cup sweetened coconut
¼ cup macadamia nuts
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons toasted coconut
2 tablespoons macadamia nuts, chopped

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9” springform pan. In food processor, process granola, butter and sugar until smooth. Using fingertips, press into bottom of springform pan - going about a ½” up the side. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until crust is starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 325. In food processor, process pineapple, coconut and nuts until smooth. In stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth, scraping down sides a couple times during process. Add eggs one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla and pineapple mixture, mix until just combined. Pour cheesecake filling into crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until middle is set. Remove from oven and set aside. Let cool, refrigerating for a couple hours.
3. Mix together powdered sugar and orange juice until well combined. Drizzle on top of cooled cheesecake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and macadamia nuts.
4. Grab a fork and enjoy!