• Cooking Time: 40-45
• 40 vanilla wafers, crushed
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup cottage cheese, creamed
• 1/4 cup cherry brandy
• 3 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 Tablespoon cherry brandy
• 1 Tablespoon white sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. In a medium bowl- stir together vanilla wafer crumbs and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 3/4 inch up the sides of an 8 inch springform pan. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl- stir together cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
4. Place cottage cheese in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
5. Stir into cream cheese mixture.
6. Stir in the 1/4 cup cherry brandy.
7. Beat in eggs on low speed just till combined.
8. Pour half of the cheese mixture into the crust-lined pan.
9. Spread 1 cup of the fruit on top. Top with remaining cheese mixture and 1/2 cup of the fruit.
10. Place in a shallow baking pan in the preheated oven.
11. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or till center appears nearly set when shaken.
12. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen sides. Cool completely on wire rack.
13. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve.
14. For topping, in a medium bowl combine remaining 2 cups fruit, 1 tablespoon cherry brandy, and 1 tablespoon sugar.
15. Cover and chill for up to 2 hours.
16. To serve, cut cheesecake into wedges. Top each serving with fruit topping.

Pickn' blackberries, I remember well. Thorns & snakes!! We always had a snake dog , they saves us many a time. But , oh my, the berries was well worth the trouble. In jams & cakes, or just by themselfs on fresh out of the oven biscuits. We'd eat as many as we put in our buckets. And of course the 4th of July blackberry cobbler.