New York Style Cheesecake
Ingredients
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs about 9 ounces of cookies
2 cups sugar divided
6 tablespoons salted butter melted
32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
Fill a cake pan or casserole dish about 3/4 full of hot water and place in the lower half of an oven.
Preheat oven to 325⁰F, leaving the water-filled baking dish in the oven during this time.
Allow oven to preheat until the water in the pan begins to steam. This may take up to 45 minutes.
While the oven is preheating, mix together vanilla wafer crumbs, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and melted butter.
Prepare a springform pan by coating liberally with a non-stick baking spray.
Place cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of a springform pan and press evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan about 1 to 2 inches high.
Place the cream cheese and remaining sugar into a large bowl and beat on low speed until no lumps remain, stopping every 90 seconds to scrape down the sides of the bowl. It may take up to 5 minutes for the lumps to disappear.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Once all the flour is incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until each egg is incorporated, stopping between eggs to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream and vanilla. Again using low speed, mix until combined.
Place the springform pan on a cookie sheet. Pour the filling into the springform pan. Place the cookie sheet and cheesecake into the preheated oven.
Bake the cheesecake at 325⁰ for 50 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 350⁰F and leave the cheesecake in the oven.
Continue baking the cheesecake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes or until a thermometer placed halfway between the center of the cheesecake and the sides of the pan reads 175⁰F.
When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and crack the door. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door cracked for at least 60 minutes and up to overnight.
Once the cheesecake has cooled, remove the outer ring from the springform pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Serve plain, topped with fruit or other sweet sauce.
