This past year for Thanksgiving, I created this Cinnamon Ginger Cookie Cheesecake.

It’s smooth and creamy and full of autumn flavors.  A perfect ending to the day.

I played around with some other recipes that are out there, and was happy with the way this one came out.  I utilized advice about how to make a cheesecake without cracking, and this one turned out nice and smooth.

I love these Anna’s Ginger Swedish Thins.  I also used them in my Ginger Cookie Truffles.

I also used pure Madagascar vanilla extract and a stronger cinnamon.  I picked up the  Korintje Cinnamon and the vanilla at Whole Foods.

By finely crushing up the two 5.25 ounce boxes of cookies, I got just over the 2 cups of crumbs that I used for the crust.

You could use a different cookie here, if you have another favorite, or if you can’t find these in your local store.  (I picked up the cookies at Walmart.)

After mixing the cookie crumbs and butter together well, you’ll want to smoosh them into the bottom of your springform pan.  Grease the pan first, with either butter or a non-stick cooking spray.

A cup with a flat bottom can be used to press the crumbs down firmly.

For the cheesecake batter, once you’ve mixed together the cream cheese and sugar, and then blended in the eggs, you will mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and the mixture of flour and cinnamon.

The brown powder you see there is not just cinnamon, it’s the cinnamon mixed into the flour.

Then pour the whoooooole thing into the pan.

Wrap the bottom of the pan in tin foil, just to make sure no water from the water bath gets into the pan.

You don’t need a water bath, strictly speaking, but it’s a really really good idea.

Just put the cheesecake pan in a larger pan and fill that pan with an inch or so of water.

After baking for an hour, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it with the door closed for an hour.

Then pop open the oven door a little and let it sit in there for another hour.  Once that hour is up, take the cheesecake out of the water bath, trace a knife around it to loosen the edges (above pic), and move it to the counter to let it cool fully.  Then refrigerate it overnight before serving.

Now, this all sounds like a great time investment.  It kind of is, except that all these steps are really easy.  You could, theoretically, skip some of them … but the cheesecake might crack or not set right.  So I suggest taking the time to do it.  It’s totally worth it!

Oh and there is one of my Turkey Gingerbread Cookies.  Those were super delicious too.  ;)

Cinnamon Ginger Cookie Cheesecake

Ingredients:

2 cups crumbs from ginger cookies or ginger snap cookies, finely crushed
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set the rack in the lower middle of the oven.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter.  Press into the bottom of the pan.  Use a flat-bottomed glass to help press it down.  In a small bowl, combine the flour and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, use a mixer to blend the cream cheese and sugar until creamy.  Mix in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time.  Then mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and flour mixture.  Pour into prepared crust.  Wrap the bottom of the pan with foil (to help keep out the water from the water bath), and place the cheesecake pan in a larger baking pan.  Fill the larger pan with an inch or two of water.

Bake in preheated oven for one hour.  Turn off the oven but let the cheesecake stay in the oven with the door closed for another hour.  Crack the door open and let it sit in the oven for one more hour.  Then, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and run a knife along the inside of the pan to loosen the edges.  Let it sit on a cooling rack on the counter until completely cool.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Refrigerate overnight before serving for best results.

[Note:  I used Anna’s Ginger Swedish Thins for the crust, but any type of crispy ginger cookie should work.  I ground up two 5.25 oz. packages which made a little over the 2 cups of crumbs I needed.  Also, using the water bath and allowing the cheesecake to sit in the oven with the door open helps to make sure it will not crack.  These steps are not completely necessary, but I highly recommend them.]

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Click here to print out the free PDF of the recipe:

Cinnamon Ginger Cookie Cheesecake

Happy Baking!

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