Cheesecake with Pecan Sandies Crust

So here’s the story. I had a party and my friend Andrea brought a quarter of a cheesecake that she had made. She left it in my fridge, and I proceeded to eat the entire thing over the next few days. Oh, and that was without the topping included here. So I begged Andrea for the recipe and she gave it to me, with the warning that it’s a lot of work, but totally worth it. Also, I think it’s really impressive when people make a cheesecake. In conclusion, this stuff is seriously addictive and you should not make it unless you have about 20 people lined up to help you eat it. Or, like, 3 people.

ingredients

Equipment: 10-inch springform pan
For crust:
1 package Pecan Sandies (or plain sandies / shortbread cookies if you want to make one without nuts)
For filling:
4 8-oz packages cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup all purpose white flour
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 16-oz container sour cream at room temperature
1/4 cup milk at room temperature
1 T vanilla extract
For topping: (makes 1 cup)
1 12-ounce package frozen unsweetened raspberries or strawberries thawed, juices reserved
3 T juice of 1/2 lemon or OJ

directions

1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 10-inch springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, making sure to cover the seam between the sides and bottom well.
2
Make crust: Put cookies in a large ziploc bag and crush (rolling pins or big jars work well for this) until you have a fine crumb. (If you have access to a food processor, pulse cookies until fine crumb forms.) Press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan and 2 inches up sides of pan, removing any large pieces. Bake until crust begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool. Maintain oven temperature.
3
Make filling: Using electric mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in flour. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined. Beat in sour cream, milk and vanilla. Pour filling into crust (it will be VERY full - it might even be too much batter. Fill it to about half an inch from the top or slightly closer.)
4
Place springform pan into a large roasting pan (or any pan that’s bigger than it is). Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of pan (this is where the foil wrapping becomes important). Keep an eye on the water level - you may need to add more if it starts to boil off. Bake cheesecake until just set in center and top is puffed and barely brown, about 1 hour. Turn off oven; keep door closed. Let cheesecake stand in oven another hour. Remove cheesecake from roasting pan. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight, if possible. (Wrap with plastic wrap).
5
Make topping:
6
In small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries or strawberries with orange or lemon juice and sugar. Heat until just bubbling, add lemon juice, and simmer on low until it starts to thicken (10-15 minutes, give or take). Remove from heat, pour into a strainer set over a bowl. Push the mixture through the strainer to get rid of the seeds. If you like more acidity, add more lemon juice or orange juice. Chill and serve cold.