Vanilla Cheesecake

Time

Pre-Prep Time: 2 hours in advance set ingredients outside
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 12 ounces graham crackers, chocolate wafer cookies, vanilla wafer cookies, or gingersnap cookies
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 1 quarter teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 half cup unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake and Assembly

• 3 quarters cup granulated sugar
• 1 quarter teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optionally, 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise)
• 1 quarter teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 thirds cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 20 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Special Equipment

• A 9" springform pan

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form (you should have about 2 cups). Add raw sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
3. Transfer mixture to springform pan and, using a measuring cup, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and 2" up sides of pan. Bake crust until fragrant and edges just start to take on color, 12–15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool

Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt in a stand mixer or bowl, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth.
3. Add in either vanilla extract or vanilla beans. They both provide the needed vanilla flavor, but the bean gives a speckling throughout that looks and tastes really good
4. Add sour cream and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Add eggs and mix to combine
5. Scrape into cooled crust and bake cheesecake until edges are set but center is still wobbly. It takes about 45-50 minutes, but keep your eye on it making sure it does not burn or come out under cooked. Additionally place a bowl of water in the oven, this will help prevent cracks during the backing process.
6. After baking transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 2 hours.

Do Ahead

This cheesecake is so great because you can bake it a couple days beforehand and leave it covered in your refrigerator until it is needed.