Brown Butter Cheesecake
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yields: One 6-inch pan
Author: Ireland Lindsay
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups (9oz) graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
24oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
FOR THE CRUST:
PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
TO start the crust, first brown the butter. To do this, simply place butter into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes constantly stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula. The butter will go through 3 stages before it reaches the “brown butter point” First, it will melt, next bubble rapidly, lastly, it’ll settle then foam.
REMEMBER to constantly stir so the butter cooks evenly and check to see that the butter isn’t burning. Cook the butter until the butter is golden in color and there are dark brown crumb-like portions throughout the mixture, these portions are the toasted milk fats. Take it off heat earlier rather than later to avoid burning, the residual heat with further cook the mixture. Bam, you just made brown butter!
WHILE the butter is browning, into a large bowl add the crumbs, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Once the butter is finished transfer to the crumb mixture and stir till combined. No need to let the brown butter mixture cool.
EVENLY portion the crust base into a 6-inch springform pan. First, build a wall along the sides, then with the remaining crumbs form the base of the cheesecake. Making sure to use a flat-edged surface (cup measure, class cup, offset spatula, etc.) to keep the edges straight.
BAKE the crust in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Let cool till ready to use.
FOR THE FILLING:
LOWER the oven temperature to 325°F.
INTO the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla mix till fully combined. Add in the cinnamon, salt, and mix. Add in the 2 eggs + 1 yolk one at a time, making sure to fully incorporated after each addition.
TRANSFER the finished filling to the baked crust, avoid creating large pockets of air. Once finished, smooth over the top with an offset spatula.
CREATE a water bath by using a 4-inch-deep casserole dish (or something similar). To do this, use aluminum foil to create a ring about 1 inch high, and place it into the center of the dish. Next, wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil 2 times so that there is a distinct barrier between the pan and the water, place the wrapped pan over the ring in the center of the dish. Transfer to the preheated oven and fill the dish 1-inch deep with boiling water. Boom you just made a water bath!
BAKE for 50-60 minutes, until the edges look set, and the middle is still wobbly. When it reached the above indicators Shut off the oven but leave the cheesecake in. Use a wooden spoon to crack open the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool inside for about 30 minutes.
PLACE in the fridge covered for 8 hours before serving, store in the fridge covered for up to 1-week.
Recipe by @IreBakes
