Hadass' Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Crust

My daughter is celebrating her rite into teenagerland on the sixth, but she was having a party for her friends on Saturday to have her own celebration. Hadass loves cheesecake and she asked me to make her one for her birthday. I decided to make this decadent treat with a vanilla-bean sugar cookie crust instead of the usual graham cracker crust. The crust recipe below after being made is divided in half. I bake half of it in the springform pan. The other half I form into a log, slice it and bake it off.

This recipe uses an artery clogging 3 1/2 pounds of cream cheese, 5 eggs and 1 cup of sour cream. You do not even need to ask if it is creamy. Let's just say it was a hit.

Here is the recipe:

Cookie Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco

1 c sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

2 tsp butter flavoring

1/4 tsp salt

2 3/4 c all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time then beat in vanilla bean paste. Add salt, then add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Remember to scrape down bowl after each addition to make sure you are fully incorporating the ingredients. This is most important with the butter/sugar so you do not have any butter lumps - this will cause your cookie to not turn out.

Divide mixture in half. Press first half into 10" springform pan and place into a 325 degree, pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Take second half of cookie dough and form into a log. Slice into 1/2 inch rounds and place on silpat lined pan. Place pan into freezer or refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes, the put into 325 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Cheesecake filling:

3 1/2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature

2 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

5 large eggs

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy (roughly 4 minutes). While cream cheese is beating, combine sugar and flour together in a bowl. Slowly add sugar/flour mixture to cream cheese until fully incorporated - scraping bowl sides. Add eggs, one at a time until smooth - scraping bowl sides. Add sour cream and vanilla, beat until smooth and creamy.

Pour mixture into springform pan and place on silpat lined sheet pan. Bake in a 300 degree, pre-heated oven for 1 hour/30 minutes - rotating pan halfway through baking time. Turn oven off and prop open oven door with a wooden spoon; leaving cheesecake in oven to cool completely. Remove from oven, leave in pan and place in refrigerator overnight (at least eight hours).

Slice and serve.