New York Cheesecake

Whole Foods products.

Ingredients. Gather and portion all ingredients.

Set oven to 325°F.

Melt butter. Melt the butter.

Blend brown sugar and crackers. Add the graham crackers to the base of a food processor and add the brown sugar. Blend to grind into crumbs.

Add salt and flour. Add the salt and flour to the food processor and blend again to combine.

Add melted butter. Pour in the melted butter and blend until it comes together in a more paste-like consistency. You may need to scrape down the sides to hydrate all of the graham cracker crumbs.

Brush pan with butter. With the leftover butter, brush a 9 inch springform pan.

Press crust into the pan. Dump the graham cracker crust into the springform pan and press into an even layer into the bottom with a measuring cup.

Bake on bottom rack for 13 mins. Bake the crust in the oven set to 325°F on the bottom rack for 13 minutes or until slightly more browned along the edges and fragrant.

Reduce oven temp to 200°F. When the crust is finished cooking, remove the crust from the oven and set the oven to 200° F. You will want the oven to fully cooled to 200 before adding the cheesecake.

Whip cream cheese and sugar. Beat the sugar and cream cheese together until fluffy and well combined. I find it helpful to add the sugar in two batches.

Sour cream. Beat the sour cream in next. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed to ensure everything gets well combined.

Vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt to the cream cheese mixture.

Two egg yolks. Beat in the two egg yolks.

Add remaining whole eggs. Add the rest of the eggs one at a time beating to combine before adding the next one.

Add filling to crust. Pour the cream cheese fillling over the slightly cooled graham cracker crust and even out with a knife or spatula. Let the filling sit for about 10 minutes to allow any air bubbles to come up to the surface. Do not tap or bang the pan on the counter or you will risk cracking the crust layer.

Pop any bubbles on the surface. After the filling sits for a few minutes, pop any bubbles that have come to the surface with a fork or skewer.

Bake at 200°F for 45 mins. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and once again, pop any bubbles that have risen to the surface of the cake.

Bake for another 2 hours 30 minutes. Return the cheesecake to the oven and continue baking for at 200 °F for another 2 hours and 30 minutes or until the internal temperature checked with a probe thermometer reaches 165°F. It may take slightly shorter or longer depending on your oven.

Remove cake, set oven to 500°F. Remove the cheesecake from the oven now and set the oven to 500°F. Once the oven reaches temp, place the cheesecake back in the oven to brown the top for approximately 5 minutes, or untill deep brown on top.

Wrap and refrigerate. Wrap the pan in plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. When fully cooled and firm, run a knife around the edge of the springform pan and remove the ring.

Slice and serve!. Warm the knife in hot water before slicing for a clean cut. The leftovers freeze nicely or can be kept in the fridge for about 4 days.

Add your favorite toppings. I like to add fresh berries, whipped cream, lemon curd or jam!