Crushed graham crackers are the most common base for a cheesecake crust, but they are far from your only option. Graham crackers pair well with the taste of a creamy cheesecake, but other grain ingredients may actually taste better with your favorite flavored cheesecake. The trick to a tasty cheesecake crust is to combine the right ratio of grains with sugar and butter to create a crust that is the consistency of wet sand and can be pressed into a cheesecake pan without falling apart. Try something new next time you prepare a cheesecake and you may never go back to plain old graham crackers.
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Mix cookie crumbs, sugar and butter in a medium-sized bowl using a wooden spoon.
Step 3
Transfer the cookie-crumb mixture to your cake pan or pie tin.
Step 4
Press the crust into the cake pan or pie tin using your fingers. Cover the entire bottom and the sides of your cake pan or pie tin.
Step 5
Bake your cookie crust for 10 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the crust from the oven and cool it completely on a wire rack before filling it.
Tips and Warnings
- Use any type of cookie you want in this recipe. Gingersnaps, short bread, vanilla rounds or creme-filled cookies all bake well for a cheesecake crust. Pair your cookies with the flavor of your cheesecake. Berry flavors, such as raspberry or strawberry, combine well with a chocolate-cookie crust while citrus-flavored cheesecakes pair well with shortbread or vanilla cookie crusts. Replace some of the cookie crumbs with crushed nuts, such as almonds, pecans or walnuts. Add some melted chocolate to the crust mixture along with the melted butter. White chocolate complements the taste of chocolate cookies, and milk chocolate pairs well with vanilla cookies. Pretzels or chocolate-covered pretzels are another ingredient that can be crushed up to replace the graham crackers in a traditional cheesecake crust. Use the back of a spoon to help press your crust into the cake pan or pie tin as another way to create a uniform crust.
- Do not over bake your cheesecake crust. Leaving it in the oven for more than 10 minutes can lead to burning and scorching, which may ruin the taste of your finished product.
Things You'll Need
- 1 1/4 cups cookie crumbs
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 4 tbsp. melted butter
- Medium-sized bowl
- Wooden spoon
- 9-inch cake pan or pie tin
- Wire rack
References
- "Good Housekeeping Great Baking"; Good Housekeeping; 2006
- "The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook"; Joey Reynolds and Myra Chanin; 2001
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