Cheesecake (my Signature)

Total Time: 2 hrs 33 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 53 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers, crushed fine
• 1/2 cup gingersnap cookie, crushed fine
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, softened (not melted)
• 5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 16 ounces frozen strawberries (thawed) (optional) or 16 ounces mixed berries (thawed) (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Recipe

• 1 position your rack near the top of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• 2 put crushed cookies, sugar, salt and butter into a large bowl and mix the ingredients together until combined.
• 3 pour the ingredients into a 10-inch spring form pan.
• 4 using your hand press the mixture into the bottom and 1-1/2" up the sides of a 10" spring form pan.
• 5 do the sides first, it’s easier.
• 6 place the pan in the preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 8 minutes.
• 7 remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool while you continue to make your filling.
• 8 turn your oven up to 450 degrees.
• 9 put the cream cheese and sugar's into a large mixing bowl and cream on med high speed for 4 minutes making sure to scrap down the sides.
• 10 using a medium speed on your mixer add the eggs 2 at a time allowing 1/2 minute between additions.
• 11 make sure to scrap down the side of the bowl a couple of times during the addition of the eggs.
• 12 after all the eggs are mixed in, set your mixer to low speed and add the sour cream and vanilla slowly and mix for 1 minute.
• 13 pour your batter into the cooled crust and put it in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• 14 after baking for 15 minutes (without opening the door) turn the temperature down to 230 degrees and bake for 90 minutes.
• 15 after baking 90 minutes turn off the oven and open the door just wide enough to let out some of the heat.
• 16 after 30 minutes remove cake from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack to room temperature than refrigerate.
• 17 optional.
• 18 mix the thawed straw berries or mixed berries with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and put on the top or on the side of the cheesecake wedges.
• 19 enjoy.