Serves: 5
Total Calories: 1,291

Crust:
1/4 pound lightly salted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups finely ground chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (1 box)

Filling:
2 pounds cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt
4 eggs

Topping:
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup blanched, sliced almonds, toasted

For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter over very low heat. In a bowl, combine butter with sugar and crumbs with a fork. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan.

For Filling:
In mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until soft. Add liqueur, extracts, and salt; blend thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, keeping the mixture at low speed (to prevent too much air from destroying the proper consistency of the batter). Mix just until each egg has been mixed into batter. Pour filling into crust and bake for 40 minutes. If ingredients are not at room temperature, add 5 minutes to baking time. Remove from oven and let stand on a counter for 10 minutes while you prepare topping (this is very important).

For Topping:
Combine sour cream, sugar, extract, and liqueur with a spatula in a plastic bowl. Spread evenly over top of baked filling. Sprinkle with almonds and return to 350° oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in refrigerator immediately to cool. This prevents cracks from forming in the cheesecake.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 1,291
Calories from Fat: 855

More Recipes from the Best of the Best from The Northeast Cookbook Cookbook:
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
Easy Chocolate Chip Cake
Tasty Cakes
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Rocky Roadhouse Cake
Apple Dapple
Dutch Apple Cake
Apple Pie Cake
Blueberry Tea Cake
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Blueberry Cake
Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Ginger Frosting
Lemonade Cake
Eggnog Cake
Black Walnut Cake
Coconut Caramel Cake/ Pie
Carrot Cake
Fudge Truffle Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake
Bavarian Apple Cheesecake
Amaretto Cheesecake
Almond Cheesecake with Raspberries