Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9” springform pan with cooking spray.
Use a food processor to process the graham crackers into fine crumbs. 2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
Place the crumbs in a medium bowl and add the brown sugar and butter. Mix until well combined. ⅓ cup packed brown sugar , ½ cup salted butter
Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.
Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the filling.
Lower oven temp to 300ºF. Let the crust cool for at least 5 minutes before filling.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed just until creamy and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. 40 ounces cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Add the salt, vanilla and sour cream. Mix again just until combined. ¼ teaspoon salt , 1 tablespoon vanilla extract , 1 cup sour cream
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix at this point. 4 large eggs
Spray the edges of the springform pan (on top of the crust) with cooking spray again. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared pan. Tap the pan 2-3 times on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Place the cheesecake in the oven. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 275°F and bake for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, turn off the oven, but do not open the oven. Let the cheesecake continue to cook with the oven off for 60 minutes. Then remove the cheesecake and let it cool completely at room temperature. Loosen any edges that look like they may be sticking. This helps prevent cracking.
Remove the band off the springform pan. Loosely cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight.
Notes
If you use a standing mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 12, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cheesecake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **