Cream Cheese Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups fine cookie crumbs (use graham crackers, vanilla or chocolate wafers, gingersnaps or shortbread cookies)
• 2 (10 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 325°f.
• 2 lightly brush the inside of a 9-inch pie or cake pan and the outside of a smaller pan with some of the melted butter.
• 3 in the bowl of a food processor, combine the crumbs and remaining butter.
• 4 pat the mixture evenly into the pan and press it down with the bottom of the smaller pan.
• 5 bake until firm and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• 6 cool on a wire rack.
• 7 in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes.
• 8 add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.
• 9 beat in the lemon zest, vanilla and salt.
• 10 fold in the sour cream by hand.
• 11 scrape the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
• 12 bake until the cake is barely set, about 45 minutes.
• 13 cool in the pan on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.