Oatmeal Raisin Stout Cheesecake

Beer works really well in a cheesecake. Don’t ask me why, I am not a dessert guy when it comes to the science behind the recipes, but I am a dessert guy when it comes to really indulgent and sometimes wacky flavor combos. Once about 10 years ago, I thought it would be the funniest thing to pour a Bud Light Lime into a cheesecake mixture, and was actually blown away by how good it ended up tasting. 

Land Grant has a beer called Beard Crumbs which is OBVIOUSLY relevant to my interests. It’s an oatmeal raisin cookie stout, and right when I saw it, I knew I had to turn it into a cheesecake. I swapped out the usual graham cracker crust for an oatmeal cookie crust, used the beer in the cheesecake mixture, and topped it with some salted raisin caramel. Everything came together to give this cheesecake strong oatmeal raisin cookie vibes. 

Once again, the beer really helped the cheesecake have a fantastic texture. My non-pastry brain says the bubbles in the beer help aerate the cheesecake mixture, but I am probably wrong on that. Either way, this cheesecake was fantastic and just what you need for a new twist on your favorite holiday dessert.

I grabbed the oatmeal cookie crust from Bake or Brake as the base of this cheesecake. I like to really grease and line my baking dishes aggressively to prevent any issues later.

Lots of cream cheese and sugar.

Then add the eggs and beer.

I baked the crust for about 10 minutes on it’s own, then let it cool for 5 before adding the filling.

For the topping, I just tossed some raisins into a pan with sugar and a little honey.

After it all melts together, add in cream.

Once the cake has cooled a bit, pour on the caramel, then let it cool more.

Then slice and serve! So good! If you don’t have Land Grant in your area, you could use any oatmeal stout for this recipe.

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5 from 1 vote

Oatmeal Raisin Stout Cheesecake

A Cheesecake inspired by stout beer and oatmeal raisin cookies.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Resting time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Beer

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

• 24 oz cream cheese- room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup oatmeal stout
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup cream

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Make the crust – mix all the crust ingredients in a bowl until combined. Make sure to fully incorporate the butter. The crust mixture will be crumbley. Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and lots of butter. Press the crust into the pan, pressing it slightly up the sides of the pan as well. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes
• Make the filling – Add the cream cheese to the food processor and pulse to soften. Add in the sugar next and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the eggs and pulse until combined. Finally add in the beer and vanilla. Start slow because the beer might splash out of the food processor at first, once it starts to combine you can really process it until well combined.
• Pour the cheesecake into the crust and bake at 350 for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Allow the cheesecake to stay in the oven for another hour. After that, let it cool for an hour on the counter before putting it into the fridge.
• Make the topping – Put the raisins in a saucepan with the sugar and honey and stir to combine. Turn on medium high heat and allow it to melt. Do not stir it during this part, just slightly swirl the pan if needed.
• Once the sugar is melted and turning a deep brown, add in the cream. It will bubble aggressively. Swirl the pan at first to combine, then after about a minute you can stir it slightly. Remove from heat.
• When ready to serve, pour the caramel sauce over the cheesecake.