Ingredients:
Crust:
7 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups roughly crushed graham cracker crumbs, from about 9 whole graham crackers *see notes below recipe
Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons All-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8-inch by 8-inch ovenproof baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure that 2 sides have at least a 2-inch overhang for easy removal. Lightly spray foil with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and dark brown sugar. Add graham cracker crumbs and stir until combined. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove pan from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
3. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment. Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about 20 seconds each. Add sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter over graham cracker crust and gentle shake pan to level out batter. Bake for 55-60 minutes, remove pan to wire rack to cool. Filling will be a little jiggly in the center, this is normal. The filling will continue to cook while cooling at room temperature and will fully set once refrigerated for several hours. Let cool for 1 hour, then cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
5. Remove pan from refrigerator and lift out cheesecake using the aluminum foil overhang. Remove aluminum foil. Dip a knife in a tall glass of water and cut the cheesecake slab into bars. Wipe knife with a paper towel between cuts.
Notes: This recipe is based on whole graham crackers that are crushed into crumbs that are not over crushed, resulting in a much better rustic type crust. Don’t use store bought graham cracker crumbs, because they are like the consistency of flour.
Place a few graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and roughly crush with a rolling pin (crumbs about the size of a small matchstick head). Empty bag into a small bowl. Repeat crushing a few at a time with the rest of the graham crackers.