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Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust and Butterscotch Sauce by The Wood and Spoon by Kate Wood. This is a creamy, almost caramel cheesecake made with brown sugar. The crust is a sweet and salty press-in crust made from oats. The whole thing is baked in a springform pan and topped with caramel corn and butterscotch sauce by Smitten Kitchen. Find the recipe and some tips on making a pretty cheesecake without cracks or soggy crust on thewoodandspoon.com
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★★★★★

4.8 from 5 reviews

The brown sugar cheesecake boasts a sweet and salty oatmeal crust and a gooey butterscotch sauce.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1–1/3 cup (110 gm) quick cooking oats
  • ½ cup (100 gm) packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup (45 gm) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 7 tablespoons (100 gm) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

  • 1–1/2 pounds/ 3 blocks (680 gm) of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150 gm) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs (170 gm), room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

To prepare the crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare a 9″ springform pan by wrapping it in sheets of aluminum foil. I use 3 layers of extra wide, heavy duty foil wrapped to the top lip of the pan. Spray the inside walls and bottom of the pan with cooking spray.
  3. Stir together the dry ingredients until combined. Add the melted butter and stir just until combined. Gently pat out your mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

To prepare the cheesecake:

  1. Begin boiling some water in a kettle or saucepan for your water bath.
  2. Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium speed (I use 4 on my Kitchen Aid Mixer) for 2 minutes to remove all clumps. Do not overbeat, but scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. If many clumps remain, ensure that your cream cheese has softened to room temp.
  3. Add the sugar and beat on medium for an additional 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine an additional 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then add the heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat to combine.
  4. Strain the cheesecake batter through a mesh strainer (if desired) into a reserved bowl. Pour the batter on top of the crust. Gently rap the pan on the counter to help any air bubbles escape.
  5. Place your springform pan into a slightly larger baking dish/pan and fill the larger pan with the boiling water you prepared for the water bath until the water reaches about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  6. Carefully place both pans in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. After an hour of baking, the edges and top of the cheesecake should be set but still slightly jiggle in the center. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to bake for an additional 30 minutes in the oven. Prop the door of the oven open slightly with a wooden spoon and continue to cool the cheesecake for another 30 minutes in the cooling oven.
  7. Discard the water bath, remove the foil and then place the cheesecake in the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight. The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for several days. Serve with butterscotch sauce (see notes) or homemade caramel.

Notes

  • I wrap my springform pan with three layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. This is to protect your crust from any water leakage of your springform pan. Many pans will claim to be waterproof but your crust will get soggy and inedible if water leakage happens. Don’t take any chances!
  • I use a 11″ round cake pan for my water bath but you can use any oven-safe dish that you have. Once of my readers used a roasting pan and that works just fine!
  • The cooling process seems lengthy and unnecessary, but it helps to prevent drastic temperature changes that can cause structural issues with your cake.
  • I love the butterscotch sauce from Smitten Kitchen and Bobby Flay’s salted caramel sauce. See the post above for the link to these recipes.

Find it online: https://thewoodandspoon.com/brown-sugar-cheesecake/