Festive Cranberry Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Assemble a 9" springform pan lightly greased and wrap a piece of foil over the exterior bottom and up the sides of the pan.

In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients. Press over the bottom of the springform pan. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar. Add orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract; beat until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated.

Pour batter over crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is nearly set when jiggled. Top of cheesecake may crack and rise during baking but will fall back into position while cooling. Place on wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake to loosen; then remove the sides of the pan. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare Cranberry Topping. In a saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir in cranberries, cover and cook over medium-low heat until moist cranberries have popped, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice. Press cranberry mixture through a sieve with the back of a spoon or process in food mill to remove skins. Allow topping to cool to room temperature.

Spread topping over cooled cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.