Italian Cheesecake II

This is a sweet, moist chocolate chip cheesecake with a hint of citrus and anise flavors. It is made with ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 311 Calories

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 1 teaspoon anise extract
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 4 pounds ricotta cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons imitation vanilla flavoring
• 6 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then mix in the sugar, vanilla flavoring, anise extract, lime zest, lemon zest, and ricotta cheese until smooth. Toss the chocolate chips with the flour in a plastic bag to coat. Fold in to the ricotta batter until evenly blended. Place the graham cracker crusts onto baking sheets. Evenly divide the batter among the crusts.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then rotate the cheesecakes 90 degrees, and continue baking until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours until cold before serving.