| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | one 10-inch cheesecake |
Ingredients
- 15 Lemon-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies (about 12 ounces), recipe follows
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 ounces lemon curd
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the center position, without any racks above it.
- Place the cookies in a food processor; pulse to the texture of sand. Add the crushed cookies to a 10-inch springform pan and pour in the melted butter. Using your hands, mix together the cookie crumbs and butter until they are completely combined and hold together when pinched. Firmly press the cookie crust into the bottom of the pan. Press down on the crust with the bottom of a cup to ensure it is tightly packed.
- Bake the crust for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and let cool. When the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap it in foil three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan–this will prevent any water from getting into the cheesecake while it is baked in a water bath.
- For the cheesecake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Slowly turn the mixer up to medium-high speed; continue to mix for 2 minutes, until the ingredients are completely combined and smooth.
- Set aside 1/4 cup of the lemon curd and reserve it for the topping. With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining lemon curd into the cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and spread it evenly, making sure to flatten the top. Gently tap the pan a few times on a flat surface to even out the mixture.
- Use the reserved lemon curd to make a fun design in the top of the cheesecake. For instance, you can dollop 15 small dots, about a heaping 1/2 teaspoon each, around the border of the cake and then 6 small dots towards the center of the cake and 1 dot directly in the center. Drag a skewer around the center of the first ring of dots to pull the lemon curd into a teardrop shape. Repeat with the interior circle of lemon curd drops.
- Place the foil-lined springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a pudding-like jiggle. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before removing the pan from the water bath. Let the cheesecake sit another 30 minutes. While the cheesecake is still warm, run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then release the sides of the pan. (If you do this after the cheesecake has cooled completely, the cake may tear slightly.) Let the cheesecake cool completely before slicing and serving. Refrigerate any cheesecake not being served immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the foil and sides of the pan with butter.
- In a food processor, pulse the sugar with the lemon zest and rosemary until well combined. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and reserve.
- Add the butter, vanilla and salt to the food processor with the sugar and pulse until combined. Add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. After the last addition, you may have to stir and scrape down the sides of the food processor to help incorporate all of the flour. Continue to pulse until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out into the prepared baking pan and press it in evenly. Poke the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle it with the reserved sugar.
- Use a knife to cut the dough into approximately 3-by-1-inch rectangles (or whichever shape you prefer). Bake until golden brown at the edges and golden in the center, about 25 minutes. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a bench scraper or knife to re-cut the lines of the cookies. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies with the foil and cool completely on a rack.
Reviews
Great job Val! This is A-MAZING. I did cook the cheesecake for about 20-30 minutes longer than the directions said to. It came out perfectly the next day after being refrigerated over night. I also used store bought shortbread cookies crumbled them up in the food processor and added about an 1/8 cup of fresh chopped rosemary and the butter. I forgot to add the sour cream, but it wasn’t needed in my opinion. My family flipped over it and asked me to make it for the next holiday.
My 12 ounces of shortbread cookie crumbs really needed more butter to pack together but tasted great as is. 325F baking temperature g go or 60 minutes was not hot enough or long enough. Tasted great but cracked and fell apart. Would have been great if baked hotter and longer.
This cheese cake was delicious!! I ended up making half the shortbread recipe and pressing it into the springform pan and baking it at 350 for 25 minutes and then making the cheese cake following the recipe. It was a hit
The shortbread recipe is Amazing! But crumbling them up and adding more butter for the crust absolutely ruined it. If I could have made a change I would use the shortbread as-is as the crust. I followed the recipe exactly. I couldn’t find the oven temperature listed in the recipe for the cheesecake so assumed that the 325 degrees for the crust was it, BUT my cheesecake cracked and then proceeded to fall completely so I kept it held together with the foil and refrigerated. The finished results are just ok, but would have been amazing if the shortbread cookies are used as the pie crust without crushing them up, AND higher bake temperature.
I made this when I had time for extra steps in a recipe. The rosemary lemon cookie crust is amazing, and adds a lot to what is already a great recipe. Rave reviews from everyone who ate it. Power packed lemon flavor. Be prepared for requests to make it again.
This took so long to make especially the crust. But the frustrating part was how the directions were given.
I made this for our family Christmas dinner. My family seriously couldnt get enough of it. I’m still hearing about it months later! Although it is a labor intensive cheesecake, it is 100% worth it. Mine did not turn out as pretty, and my water bath did soak into my cake a bit, but it didnt affect it at all. I’ll only make this for special occasions d/t how much time goes into it. I’m already getting requests for it again. The cookie crust is an absolute must though!
Made this cheesecake twice. Definitely my favorite cheesecake recipe. No need for a topping. Delicious combination of sweetness with the lemon tartness. The crust doesn’t get soggy after a day like graham cracker crust.
I’ve made this several times—all with rave reviews. Fresh rosemary is a must!
This was the best cheesecake. If you like lemon pie you will most definitely love this. The rosemary shortbread crust was so good. The left over crust I ate as cookies with coffee.